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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://wwvy.archive.org/details/buildinglawsofhuOOmccarich 


"^he  Bistory  cf  a  07lan  is  Jiis  Character' 


\}t  gutltitng  hatD0 
cf  buman^^fj-aratlBr 


O'R 


EVERY   MAN'S    MONITOR 


''The  simplest  rule  for 
the  upbuilding  of  char- 
acter is  to  do  in  the 
right  spirit  the  hun- 
dred little  things  which 
make  up  our  daily  life 
and  to  accept  bravely 
whatever  happens.'* 


♦ 


''Character  is  not  cut 
in  marble,  it  is  not 
something  solid  and 
unalterable,  but  some- 
thing living  and  chang- 
ing, and  may  become 
diseased  as  do  our 
bodies." 


<* 


COMPILED.      PUBLISHED     AND     COPYRIGHTED      BY 

Willihm  Jiugh   mXcearthy 

1903       \\ 

102     SECOND     STREET,     SAN      FRANCISCO,     CAI_. 


^;§v 


cic^  4  i^n 


The   Tapestry  Weavers. 

^      ET  us  take  to  our  hearts  .a  lesson — no  lesson  can  braver 

\m  •-■; -be-  \/ :-.;.-  . 

yiL-^     From  the  -wWys  ©f  %li€  tapestry  weavers  on  the  other 
,    .   .    side  of  the  .sea.     ,     -'  •, 
.      Ab©Ye- their   he^ds:  0^4  pattern   hangs,   they   study   it 
■     with  dare,      ' 
The  while  their  fingers  deftly  work,  their  eyes  are  fastened 

there. 
They  tell  this  curious  thing,  besides,  of  the  patient  plodding 

weaver, 
He  works  on  the  wrong  side  evermore,  but  works  for  the  right 

side  ever. 
It  is  only  when  the  weaving  stops  and  the  web  is  loosed  and 

turned, 
That  he  sees  his  real  handiwork — that  his  marvelous  skill  is 

learned. 
Ah !    the   sight   of   its  delicate  beauty,   how  it  pays  him   for 

all  his  cost! 
No  rarer,  daintier  work  than  his,  was  ever  done  by  the  frost. 
Then  the  master  bringeth  him  golden  hire,  and  giveth   him 

praise  as  well, 
And  how  happy  the  heart  of  the  weaver  is,  no  tongue  but  his 

own  can  tell. 
The  years  of  man  are  looms  of  God,  let  down  from  the  place 

of  the  sun. 
Wherein  we  are  weaving  always,  till  the  mystic  web  is  done; 
Weaving  blindly,  but  weaving  surely,  each  for  himself  his  fate ; 
We  may  not  see  how  the  right  side  looks,  we  can  only  weave 

and  wait. 
But,  looking  above  for  the  pattern,  no  weaver  need  have  fear. 
Only  let  him  look  clear  into  heaven — the  Perfect  Pattern  is 

there. 
If  he  keeps  the  face  of  our  Saviour,  forever  and  always  in 

sight. 
His  toil  shall  be  sweeter  than  honey,  his  weaving  is  sure  to 

be  right. 
And  when  his  task  is  ended,  and  the  web  is  turned  and  shown, 
He  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Master,  it  shall  say  to  him: 

"Well  done!" 
And  the  white-winged  angels  of  heaven,  to  bear  him  thence 

shall  come  down. 
And  God  for  his  wages  shall  give  him — not  coin,  but  a  golden 

crown. 


PREFACE 


HE  sententious  sayings  of 
great  men  shine  out  like 
stars  in  the  firmament  of 
thought;  there  is  a  depth 
of  meaning  and  yet  a  clear- 
ness of  expression  in  themy 
that  carry  the  idea  in- 
tended to  be  conveyed 
straight  to  the  mind  and 
deep  into  the  hearty  exer- 
cising the  thoughts  and 
moving  the  feelings. 

The  maxims  of  the  wise 
and  good  are  like  so  many 
lamps  hung  at  intervals 
in  the  dark  avenue  of  life; 
in  passing  eachy  the  path 
is  illuminated,  and  help, 
warning,  counsel  and  com- 
fort given  on  the  onward 
journey.** 

— Anon. 


746501 


CONTENTS 


I 

CHARACTER  AND  ITS  FORMATION. 

II 

HEALTH,  HABITS,  TEMPERANCE. 

Ill 

MANNERS,  THRIFT,  FORTUNE. 

IV 

OPPORTUNITY,  DUTY,  TRUTH. 


THOUGHTS,  WORDS,  DEEDS. 

VI 

BOOKS,  EDUCATION,  WISDOM. 


VII 

PURPOSE,  WORK,  SUCCESS. 

VIII 

FRIENDSHIP,  LOVE,  COMPANY. 


IX 

THE   WAY  TO   HAPPINESS. 


PATIENCE,  HUMILITY,  RESIGNATION. 

XI 

PATRIOTISM. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Charoccter  ^nd  How  It  Is  Formed. 

The  real  strength  of  a  man  is  in  his  character.  Popu- 
lar estimate  makes  it  consist  in  his  circumstances.  A 
man's  strength  is  measured  by  the  number  of  his  friends, 
by  his  wealth,  by  his  social  position,  and  his  influence 
is  in  proportion  to  his  reputation  in  the  world's  esteem. 
But  in  truth,  a  man  is  strong  only  in  his  manhood.  How 
jnuch  there  is  in  a  man,  you  must  ascertain  by  measur- 
ing his  character.  A  man  is  not  strong  by  what  he  has, 
but  by  what  he  is;  and  in  measuring  what  a  man  is  we 
are  to  measure  his  character.  Now  character  is  not  a 
massive  unit,  it  is  a  fabric,  rather.  It  is  an  artificial 
whole  made  up  by  the  interply  of  ten  thousand  threads. 
Every  faculty  is  a  spinner,  spinning  each  day  its  threads, 
and  almost  every  day  threads  of  a  different  color. 
Myriads  and  myriads  of  webbed  products  proceed  from 
the  many  active  faculties  of  the  human  soul,  and  char- 
acter is  made  up  by  the  weaving  together  of  all  these 
innumerable  threads  of  daily  life.  Its  strength  is  not 
merely  in  the  strength  of  some  simple  unit,  but  in  the 
strength  of  numerous  elements. 

A  man  without  decision  can  never  be  said  to  belong  to 
himself. — Foster. 

He  conquers,  who  awaits  the  end,  and  dares  to  suffer 
and  be  strong. — Lewis  Morris. 

Make  youTself  an  honest  man,  and  then  you  may  be 
sure  that  there  is  one  rascal  less  in  the  world. — Carlyle. 

I  find  that  the  great  thing  in  this  world  is  not  so  much 
where  we  stand,  as  in  what  direction  we  are  moving. — 
0.  W.  Holmes. 

And  if  you  fall — why,  arise  again  !  Get  up,  and  go 
on ;  you  may  be  sorely  bruised  and  soiled  with  your  fall, 
but  is  that  any  reason  for  lying  still,  and  giving  up  the 
struggle  cowardly? — Chas.  Kingsley. 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

To  bear  is  to  conquer  our  fate. — Campbell. 

No  man  can  amount  to  much  without  constant  prac- 
tice of  stern  self-denial  and  rigid  self-control. — W.  D, 
Hyde. 

Solitude  is  the  mother  country  of  the  strong. — Rev, 
P.  A.  Sheehan,  P.  P. 

Each  one  of  us,  with  the  help  of  God,  and  within  the 
narrow  limits  of"  human  capability,  himself  makes  his 
own  disposition,  character,  and  permanent  condition. — 
■  Emile&ouvestre. 

'  An  indi'scr<3et  man  is  more  hurtful  than  an  ill-natured 
one;  the  latter  will  only  attack  his  enemies,  the  other 
injures  indifferently  both  friends  and  foes. — Addison. 

Honor  is  like  the  eye,  which  cannot  suffer  the  least 
impurity  without  damage;  it  is  a  precious  stone,  the 
price  of  which  is  lessened  by  the  least  flaw. — Bossuet. 

Talents  are  nurtured  best  in  solitude,  but  character 
on  lifers  tempestuous  sea. — Goethe. 

Not  education,  but  character,  is  man's  greatest  need 
and  man^s  greatest  safeguard. 

Doing  is  the  greatest  thing.  For  if,  resolutely,  people 
do  what  is  right,  in  time  they  come  to  like  doing  it. — 
Buskin. 

Simplicity  in  character,  in  manners,  in  style;  in  all 
things  the  supreme  excellence  is  simplicity. — Longfel- 
low. 

All  the  events  of  our  life  are  materials  out  of  which 
we  may  make  what  we  will. — Novalis. 

All  great  achievements  are  the  natural  fruits  of  a 
great  character. — Longfellow. 

Teach  self-denial,  and  make  its  practice  pleasurable, 
and  you  create  for  the  world  a  destiny  more  sublime  than 
ever  issued  from  the  brain  of  the  wildest  dreamer. — 
Scott. 

Let  us  so  live  as  to  be  an  inspiration,  strength,  and 
blessing  to  those  whose  lives  are  touched  by  ours. 

Alike  for  the  nation  and  the  individual,  the  one  in- 
dispensable requisite  is  character — character  that  does 
and  dares  as  w^ll  as  endures ;  character  that  is  active  in 
the  performance  of  virtue  no  less  than  firm  in  the  re- 
fusal to  do  aught  that  is  vicious  or  degraded. — Theo- 
dore Roosevelt. 

As  it  is  better  to  be  than  to  have — a  good  character  is 
more  precious  than  gold. 

Character  is  so  largely  affected  by  associations,  that 
we  cannot  afford  to  be  indifferent  as  to  who  and  what 


Character     and     Row     It     Is     Formed. 

our  friends  are.  They  write  their  names  in  our  albums, 
but  they  do  more,  they  help  to  make  us  what  we  are. 
Be  therefore  careful  in  selecting  them ;  and  when  wisely 
selected,  never  sacrifice  them. — M.  Hubbard. 

A  strong  and  noble  character  is  not  he  who  tries  to 
domineer  over  others,  and  force  his  opinions  on  them; 
but  he  who  endeavors  to  overcome  his  natural  inclina- 
tions, and  evil  tendencies,  yielding  his  opinions  in  indif- 
ferent things  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  charity,  stead- 
fastly adhering  to  truth  and  justice,  and  giving  a  kind 
word  and  helping  hand  to  those  in  sorrow  and  affliction. 

The  great  thing  which  a  young  man  needs  in  a  crisis 
of  temptation  is  prayer  and  to  declare  for  right  quickly. 
Leave  no  time  for  temptation  to  accumulate.  It  often 
requires  a  good  deal  of  character  to  do  that,  not  only  a 
religious  principle,  but  a  strong  character. — Rev.  Fr. 
Cook,  C.  S.  S.  R. 

It  is  not  so  much  the  being  exempt  from  faults,  as 
the  having  overcome  them,  that  is  an  advantasfe  to  us. — 
Swift. 

Keep  steadily  before  you  the  fact  that  all  true  suc- 
cess depends  at  last  upon  yourself. — Theodore  Hunger . 

Trifles  make  perfection,  and  perfection  is  no  trifle. — 
Michael  Angelo. 

Let  every  dawn  of  morning  be  to  you  as  the  beginning 
of  life,  and  every  setting  sun  be  as  its  close — then  let 
every  one  of  these  short  lives  leave  its  sure  record  of 
some  kindly  thing  done  for  others,  some  good  strength 
or  knowledge  gained  for  yourselves. 

We  must  not  deceive  ourselves,  for  he  that  overcometh 
not  himself  in  little  matters,  will  not  be  able  to  do  so  in 
great  things. — St.  Francis  Xavier. 

How  can  we  expect  a  harvest  of  thought,  who  have  not 
had  the  seedtime  of  character? — Thoreau. 

In  matters  of  conscience  first  thoughts  are  best;  in 
matters  of  prudence,  last  thoughts  are  best. — Robert 
Hall. 

Temptations  are  the  crises  which  test  the  strength' 
of  one's  character.  Whether  we  stand  or  fall  at  these 
decisive  points  depends  largely  on  what  we  are  before 
the  testing  comes. 

Little  self-denials,  little  honesties,  little  passing  words 
of  sympathy,  little  nameless  acts  of  kindness,  little 
silent  victories  over  favorite  temptations — these  are  the 
silent  threads  of  gold  which,  when  woven  together,  gleam 
out  so  brightly  in  the  pattern  of  life  which  God  approves. 
— F.  W.  Farrar. 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

Pass  a  little  grievance  by, 
Don^t  appear  to  heed  it; 
Be  as  helpful  as  you  may, 

Kind  to  those  who  need  it. 
Never  flatter,  never  try 
Skillfully  to  win  them 
To  your  own  peculiar  views, 
Take  them  as  you  find  them. 

The  qualities  which  are  the  most  attractive  in  child- 
hood are  not  by  any  means  the  most  valuable  in  ma- 
turity. We  look  for  determination,  will,  decision  of 
character,  firmness  in  the  man,  and  refuse  him  our  re- 
spect if  he  have  them  not.  But  when  the  child  exhibits 
these  qualities,  even  in  their  incipient  stages,  we  are  an- 
noyed, and  perhaps  repulsed.  Instead  of  rejoicing  in 
his  strength  of  will,  and  guiding  it  into  right  channels, 
we  lament  it  as  a  grievous  fault  in  him  and  a  misfortune 
to  us.  It  is  the  meek  and  yielding  child  who  cares  not 
to  decide  anything  for  himself  in  whom  we  delight  and 
whose  feeble  will  we  make  still  feebler  by  denying  it  all 
exercise.  Yet  when  he  grows  up  and  enters  the  world 
and  yields  to  temptation  and  perhaps  disgraces  himself 
and  family,  we  look  at  him  and  wonder  that  so  good  a 
child  should  have  turned  out  so  bad  a  man,  when  in 
truth,  his  course  has  been  only  the  natural  outcome  of 
his  past  life  and  training. 

Temptations  are  the  penalty  of  manhood;  they  are 
the  sign  of  a  progress  upward.  Only  a  moral  nature 
can  be  tempted.  Temptations  are  the  appeals  of  the 
lower  nature,  the  impulses  to  be  untrue  to  one's  highest 
vision,  and  to  carry  into  a  higher  stage  of  life  the  char- 
acteristics of  a  lower.  In  the  nature  of  the  case,  there- 
fore, they  do  not  separate  us  from  God.  Only  yielding 
does  that.  There  is  no  experience  of  human  life  that 
lies  outside  the  sphere  of  His  purposes  of  grace.  God 
never  meant  our  lives  to  be  artificially  screened  from 
danger.  The  safe  life  is  not  the  sheltered  life,  but  the 
victorious  life.  Untested  virtue  is  only  a  possible  vir- 
tue. The  process  of  proving  is  for  the  purpose  of  ap- 
proving.— if.  S.  Littlefield. 

A  man's  character  is  his  property.  A  good  name  is 
more  valuable  than  earthly  goods.  What  injustice, 
therefore,  to  take  it  from  him  or  destroy  it ! 

Character  is  a  perfectly  educated  will. — Novalis. 

Doing  things  as  well  as  they  can  be  done  is  not  only 
the  quickest  way  to  advancement,  but  it  has  a  very  great 
influence  upon  one's  character  and  self-respect.  If  for 
no  other  motive  than  to  maintain  our  self-respect,    we 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed, 

should  never  allow  ourselves  to  get  into  a  habit  of  half 
doing  things. — Success. 

An  even  disposition  is  indispensable  to  the  formation 
of  a  strong,  reliable  character.  No  one  will  give  his 
confidence  to  a  man  who  has  the  reputation  of  being 
fickle  or  uncertain. — Success. 

The  virtue  of  a  true  character  is  not  a  mushroom  that 
springeth  up  of  itself  in  one  night,  when  we  are  asleep 
or  regard  it  not ;  but  a  delicate  plant,  that  groweth  slowly 
and  tenderly,  needing  much  pains  to  cultivate  it,  much 
care  to  guard  it,  much  time  to  mature  it.  Neither  is 
vice  a  spirit  that  will  be  conjured  away  with  a  charm, 
slain  by  a  single  blow  or  dispatched  by  one  stab.  Who, 
then,  will  be  so  foolish  as  to  leave  the  eradicating  of 
vice,  and  the  planting  in  of  virtue  into  its  place,  to  a 
few  years  or  weeks  ?  Yet  he  who  procrastinates  his  re- 
pentance and  amendment,  grossly  does  so;  with  his  eyes 
open,  he  abridges  the  time  allotted  for  the  longest  and 
most  important  work  he  has  to  perform.  He  is  a  fool. 
— Barrow. 

The  first  thing  to  be  aimed  at  by  the  young  should  be 
the  establishment  of  a  good  character.  In  all  their 
plans,  anticipations,  and  prospects  for  future  years,  this 
should  form  the  grand  starting  point,  the  chief  corner- 
stone. It  should  be  the  foundation  of  every  hope  and 
thought  of  prosperity  and  happiness  in  days  to  come.  It 
is  the  only  basis  on  which  such  a  hope  can  mature  to 
full  fruition.  A  good  character  established  in  the  sea- 
son of  youth  becomes  a  rich  and  productive  soil  to  its 
possessor. 

Heaven  help  the  man  who  imagines  he  can  dodge 
^^enemies"  by  trying  to  please  everybody!  If  such  an 
individual  ever  succeeded  we  should  like  to  know  it.  Not 
that  we  believe  in  man's  going  through  the  world  en- 
deavoring to  find  beams  to  knock  his  head  against; 
disputing  every  man's  opinion,  fighting  and  elbowing 
and  crowding  all  who  differ  from  him.  That  again  is 
another  extreme.  Other  people  have  a  right  to  their 
opinions — so  have  you;  don't  fall  into  the  error  of  sup- 
posing they  will  respect  you  less  for  maintaining  them 
— or  respect  you  more  for  turning  your  coat  every  day 
to  match  the  color  of  theirs.  Wear  vour  own  colors, 
spite  of  wind  or  weather,  storm  or  sunshine.  It  costs  the 
vacillating  and  irresolute  ten  times  the  trouble  to  wind, 
shuffle,  and  twist  that  it  does  honest,  manly  indepen- 
dence to  stand  its  ground.  Take  what  time  you  please 
to  make  up  your  mind,  but,  having  made  it  up,  stick 
to  it. 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

How  it  is  that  every  act  we  do  leaves  upon  us  its  im- 
pression we  know  not;  but  the  sears  and  seams  of  our 
bodily  frame  may  warn  us  of  the  havoc  sin  makes  in  our 
unseen  nature.  The  current  of  our  thoughts,  the 
wandering  of  our  imaginations,  the  tumult  of  our  pas- 
sions, the  flashes  of  our  temper,  all  the  movements  and 
energies  of  our  moral  being,  leave  some  mark,  wither 
some  springing  grace,  strengthen  some  struggling  fault, 
decide  some  doubtful  bias,  aggravate  some  growing 
proneness,  and  always  leave  us  other  and  worse  then  we 
were  before.  This  is  ever  going  on.  By  its  own  con- 
tinual acting,  our  fearful  and  wonderful  inward  nature 
is  perpetually  fixing  its  own  character.  It  has  a  power 
of  self-determination,  which  to  those  who  give  over 
watching  and  self-control,  becomes  soon  unconscious 
and  at  last  involuntary. — Cardinal  Manning. 

Character  is  greater  and  higher  than  money,  intellect, 
or  love,  because  it  determines  the  use  and  direction  of 
these  three.  It  is  the  character  of  the  rich  man  which 
determines  whether  he  be  a  benefactor  or  a  curse  to  so- 
ciety. It  is  character  which  determines  whether  the 
learned  man  shall  use  his  knowledge  as  a  destructive  or 
as  a  constructive  force  in  society.  It  is  character  which 
determines  whether  love  shall  be  a  passion,  working 
havoc  in  life  or  a  grace  beautifying  and  ennobling  life. 
Character  is  the  determining  force  behind  money,  intel- 
lect, love,  and  so  it  is  the  greatest  force  in  human  life. 
Eealizing  this,  all  will  appreciate  the  necessity  of  careful 
thought  and  thoughtful  care  in  building  character. 

Inscribed  above  the  entrance  to  the  temple  of  Apollo 
at  Delphi  were  the  words  "Man,  know  thyself.^'  While 
it  is  a  grand  thing  for  one  to  know  himself,  how  much 
grander  is  it  through  that  knowledge  to  be  able  to  con- 
trol himself.  "Greater  is  he,'^  says  the  wise  man,  "that 
ruleth  his  own  spirit,  than  he  that  taketh  a  city.^^ 

The  trees  and  flowers  grow  unconsciously  and  by  no 
eflPort  of  their  own.  Man,  too,  grows  unconsciously,  and 
is  educated  by  circumstances.  But  he  can  also  control 
those  circumstances  and  direct  the  course  of  his  life. 
He  can,  by  effort  and  thought,  aquire  knowledge,  purify 
his  nature,  develop  his  powers,  and  strengthen  his  char- 
acter. 

Reflection  increases  the  vigor  of  the  mind,  as  exercise 
does  the  strength  of  the  body. — Lewis. 

Character,  like  knowledge,  is  only  so  far  truly  alive 
as  it  is  still  further  growing.  Some  things  are  un- 
questioned, fixed,  at  once  acted  upon ;  but  there  is  plenty 

10 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

of  room  still  for  moral  thought  and  moral  feeling.  We 
have  not,  in  virtue  of  our  habit,  become  a  machine  or  a 
law. 

Strength  of  character  consists  of  two  things:  power 
of  will  and  power  of  self-restraint.  It  requires  two 
things,  therefore,  for  its  existence,  and  a  strong  com- 
mand over  them.  Now,  we  all  very  often  mistake 
strong  feeling  for  strong  character.  A  man  who  bears 
all  before  him,  before  whose  wild  bursts  of  fury  the 
children  of  the  household  quake — because  he  has  his 
own  way  in  all  things — we  call  him  a  strong  man.  The 
truth  is,  he  is  a  weak  man;  it  is  his  passions  that  are 
strong;  he,  mastered  by  them,  is  weak. 

•  You  must  measure  the  strength  of  a  man  by  the 
power  of  the  feelings  he  subdues,  not  by  the  power  of 
those  which  subdue  him.  And  hence  composure  is  often 
the  highest  result  of  strength.  Did  we  ever  see  a  man 
receive  a  flagrant  injury  and  then  reply  calmly  ?  That 
man  is  morally  strong.  Or  did  we  ever  see  a  man  in 
anguish  stand  as  if  carved  out  of  solid  rock,  mastering 
himself?  Or  one  bearing  a  hopeless  daily  trial  remain 
silent,  and  never  tell  the  world  what  cankered  his  home  ? 
That  is  strength.  He  who  with  strong  passions  remains 
chaste,  he  who  with  indignation  within  him  can  be  pro- 
voked and  remain  himself  and  forgive — those  are  strong 
men,  the  moral  heroes. 

Test  of  Character. — The  supreme  test  of  charac- 
ter, that  which  measures  its  power  for  self  and  the 
world,  is  the  prayer :  "Not  my  will,  but  Thine,  be  done." 
Life,  then,  is  not  always  renunciation,  but  consecration, 
and  is  too  holy  a  thing  to  be  held  in  check,  to  be  kept 
from  attainment  by  trifles.  Man  sees  life  from  the 
heights  of  divinity.  Lesser  heights  mark  the  distance 
between  growth  and  attainment;  they  measure  the  dis- 
tance between  the  real  self  and  the  ideal  toward  which 
every  true  man  struggles.  The  great  tests  are  met 
by  the  power  accumulated  in  overcoming  the  trifles 
borne  in  each  day's  battle. 

It  is  upon  the  loyalty  to  sincere  convictions  that  all 
character  rests.  Otherwise,  right  and  wrong,  true  and 
false,  just  and  unjust,  would  bear  only  a  vague,  confused, 
and  uncertain  meaning.  And  exactly  because  of  this 
essential  loyalty  are  we  bound  frequently  to  test  our  con- 
victions in  the  light  of  advanced  knowledge  and  im- 
proved judgment,  and  to  replace  them  by  others  when- 
ever their  imperfections  become  manifest.  Herbert 
Spencer  says :  "It  is  clear  that  a  globe  built  up  partly 
of  semblances  instead  of  facts  would  not  be  long  on  this 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed, 

side  of  chaos.  And  it  is  certain  that  a  community  com- 
posed ot  men  whose  acts  are  not  in  harmony  with  their 
innermost  beliefs  will  be  equally  unstable." 

We  need  all  the  varied  experiences  of  life  through 
which  we  pass.  They  are  necessary  to  the  evolution  of 
a  perfect  character,  just  as  all  kinds  of  weather — sun 
and  dew,  cold  and  heat,  rain  and  wind — are  necessary  to 
develop  the  grain  of  wheat  that  is  sown  in  the  ground. 

Your  character  cannot  be  essentially  injured  except 
by  your  own  acts. 

Over  the  beauty  of  the  plum  and  the  apricot  there 
grows  a  bloom  and  beauty  more  exquisite  than  the  fruit 
itself — a  soft,  delicate  flush  overspreads  its  blushing 
cheek.  Now,  if  you  strike  your  hand  over  that,  it  is 
gone.  The  flower  that  hangs  in  the  morning  impearled 
with  dew,  arrayed  as  no  queenly  woman  ever  was  arrayed 
with  jewels — once  shake  it  so  that  the  beads  roll  off,  and 
you  may  sprinkle  water  over  it  as  you  please,  yet  it 
can  never  be  again  what  it  was  when  the  dew  fell  silently 
on  it  from  heaven.  On  a  frosty  morning  you  may  see 
panes  of  glass  covered  with  landscape,  mountains,  lakes, 
trees,  blended  in  a  beautiful  picture.  Now,  lay  your 
hand  upon  the  glass,  and  by  the  scratch  of  your  finger, 
or  by  the  warmth  of  your  palm,  that  delicate  tracery 
will  be  obliterated.  So  there  is  in  youth  a  beauty  and. 
purity  of  character,  which,  when  once  touched  and  de- 
filed, can  never  be  restored;  a  fringe  more  delicate  than 
frostwork,  and  which,  when  torn  and  broken,  will  never 
be  re-embroidercd.  He  who  hath  spotted  and  spoiled 
his  garments  in  youth,  though  he  may  seek  to  make 
them  white  again,  can  never  wholly  do  it,  even  were  he 
to  wash  them  with  his  tears.  When  a  young  man  leaves- 
his  father's  house  with  the  blessings  of  a  mother's  tears- 
still  wet  upon  his  brow,  if  he  once  lose  the  early  purity 
of  character,  it  is  a  loss  that  he  never  can  make  whole 
again.  Such  is  the  consequence  of  crime.  Its  effects 
cannot  be  eradicated ;  it  can  only  be  forgotten. 

Let  your  character  be  real,  the  shining  warp  and  woof 
of  each  day,  working  out  the  part  God  has  set  you  in 
the  great  loom  of  time. — Geikie. 

Noble  words  are  next  to  noble  deeds. 

But  noble  lives  are  what  the  world  most  needs. 

Many  forget  that  character  grows ;  that  it  is  not  some- 
thing to  put  on  ready-made  with  womanhood  Or  man- 
hood; day  by  day,  here  a  little,  there  a  little,  it  grow^ 
with  the  growth  and  strengthens  with  the  strength, 
until,  good  or  bad,  it  becomes  almost  a  coat  of  mail. 
Look  at  a  man  of  business — prompt,  reliable,  conscien- 

12 


Charade  7'     and     How     It     Is     Formed, 

tious,  yet  clear-headed  and  energetic.  When  do  you 
suppose  he  developed  all  these  admirable  qualities? 
When  he  was  a  boy.  Let  us  see  how  a  boy  of  ten  years 
gets  up  in  the  morning,  works,  plays,  studies,  and  we 
will  tell  you  just  what  kind  of  a  man  he  will  make. 
The  boy  that  is  late  at  breakfast,  late  at  school,  stands 
a  poor  chance  of  being  a  prompt  man.  The  boy  who 
neglects  his  duties,  be  they  ever  so  small,  and  then  ex- 
cuses himself  by  saying,  "I  forgot ;  I  didn't  think !" 
will  never  be  a  reliable  man;  and  the  boy  who  finds 
pleasure  in  the  suffering  of  weaker  things  will  never 
be  a  noble,  generous,  kind  man — a  gentleman. 

Absorbing  devotion  to  self  disintegrates  the  character. 
In  the  flood-time  of  temptation  it  goes  to  pieces. 

To  him  who  would  succeed  in  life,  decision  is  a  qual- 
ity of  vital  importance.  He  need  not,  indeed,  be  blessed 
with  an  extraordinary  amount  of  mental  acumen,  he 
may  not  be  able  to  see  through  the  words  and  deeds  of 
men  with  the  same  ease  and  rapidity  as  others;  but  if 
he  knows  when  to  act,  and  how  to  follow  an  idea  to  the« 
end,  he  is  possessed  of  a  power  superior  to  strength  of 
intelligence.  What  can  appear  more  ridiculous  than  to 
s.ee  men  of  brains  and  skill  wasting  their  energies  on 
trifles,  light  as  air,  flitting  from  one  thing  to  another, 
without  any  fixed,  determinate  object  in  view?  They 
might  accomplish  almost  anything  they  undertake,  and 
yet  they  undertake  nothing  worthy  of  their  abilities,  but, 
like  anxious  swimmers,  stand  shivering  on  the  bank, 
afraid  to  plunge  into  the  stream. 

They  are  men  of  promise  while  youth's  vigor  remains, 
and  they  go  to  their  graves  meti  of  promise,  leaving  be- 
hind nothing  to  attest  the  great  gifts  with  which  God 
has  endowed  them.  Life  is  too  short  for  all  such  fear- 
ing, doubting,  hesitating.  Did  we  live  in  the  days  of 
the  flood,  when  man's  life  was  numbered  by  centuries, 
we  might  with  safety  spend  years  in  consultation;  but 
the  present  age  requires  prompt  decision,  concentration 
of  aim,  and  tenacity  of  purpose.  We  have  no  time  for 
experimenting  on  the  various  callings  of  life.  We  must 
be  up  and  doing,  keeping  a  steady  eye  on  our  cherished 
goal,  working  with  might  and  main,  never  swerving  to 
the  right  or  the  left. 

Let  us,  once  for  all,  know  distinctly  what  we  wish. 
The  greatest  difficulty  in  life  arises  from  the  fact  that 
men  do  not  sufficiently  understand  their  own  aims.  They 
undertake  to  build  a  mansion,  but  lay  the  foundations 
for  a  miserable  hut.  They  would  be  great,  are  not  with- 
out ambition,  but  lack  the  first  requisite — decision. 

13 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed, 

Character  is  not  a  gift,  but  a  formation.  Judas  had 
the  same  chances  of  better  things  which  his  brother 
Apostles  had.  Character  grows  from  habits,  and  he 
adopted  bad  ones. 

Brave  conquerors  !  for  so  you  are, 
That  war  against  your  own  affections, 
And  the  huge  army  of  the  world's  desires. 

— Shakespeare. 

By  a  right  character  I  mean  one  that  would  make  a 
man  a  vital  co-operative  force  in  all  that  would  tend  to 
build  up  society,  and  to  aid  in  the  onward  movement  of 
the  moral  government  of  God.  Character  transcends 
knowledge.  Knowledge  teaches  how  to  do;  character 
determines  what  he  will  do.  It  is  a  man's  deepest  love 
that  will  determine  his  ultimate  destiny.  Hence, 
the  highest  form  of  benevolence  is  in  seeking  to 
improve  character.  This  was  thes  subject  of  Christ. 
His  coming  was  a  testimony  to  the  value  of  character. 
He  who  appreciates  this  value  clearly,  and  devotes  him- 
self with  energy  and  self-denial  to  its  improvement  in 
himself  and  others,  is  the  highest  style  of  man;  and 
the  institution  that  does  the  most  for  character  will  do 
most  for  the  individual  and  for  the  country.  Mere 
teaching  without  formative  influences  on  character  is 
simply  a  trade.  But  can  education  insure  right  char- 
acter? No.  Character  is  not  from  the  intellect,  but 
from  the  will,  or,  rather,  the  person  that  lies  back  of 
the  will.  Some  knowledge  may  be  forced  upon  us;  .i 
right  character  cannot  be;  still,  there  are  indirect  forma- 
tive influences,  and  the  education  that  ignores  character 
is  radically  defective. 

What  is  it  that  makes  a  man?  Character.  It  is 
character  that  gives  him  his  individual  greatness  and 
distinguishes  him  in  his  individual  being.  And  char- 
acter does  not  find  its  source  in  the  intellect.  A  man 
may  have  all  knowledge  and  still  be  a  kuave.  He  may 
know  everything  that  the  mind  can  know,  and  still  be 
imperfect.  He  may  have  a  mind  that  will  do  honor 
to  the  country  in  which  he  lives,  and  a  heart  that  will 
dishonor  humanity.  Mere  development  of  the  intellect, 
mere  scientific  training,  will  never  develop  character  or 
make  a  man.  Indeed,  it  is  the  astonishment  of  history 
that  the  greatest  culture  of  the  intellect  has  often  gone 
with  the  greatest  depravity  of  heart,  and  the  scandal  of 
the  world  that  of  all  those  wonderful  philosophers  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  whose  minds  were  so  great  and  whose 
individuality  so  massive  that  they  yet  influence  the 
world,  only  one  or  two  lived  lives  of  moral  rectitude 

14 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed, 

that  correspond  in  any  wise  even  with  the  principles  of 
right  reason.  This  certainly  is  an  argument  against 
mere  exclusive  intellectual  culture. 

Nor  does  the  greatness  of  character  reside  in  the  heart. 
Every  attachment,  indeed,  has  something  generous  in 
it,  and  may  lead  on  to  the  performance  of  heroic  deeds ; 
but  even  legitimate  affection  may  degenerate  into  weak- 
ness. 

It  is  the  will  which  is  the  source  of  greatness,  where 
those  motives  reside  which  lead  us  to  action.  For  man  in 
himself  is  inert,  like  matter,  and  does  not  act  unless 
he  is  impelled  to  action.  These  tendencies  are  a  result 
of  habit,  of  practice,  of  divine  grace,  of  heredity.  When 
they  are  noble,  the  man  is  noble ;  when  they  are  exalted, 
the  man  is  exalted ;  when  they  are  base,  the  man  is  base. 
So  it  is  by  the  training  of  the  will,  the  constant  devel- 
opment of  the  will,  that  character  develops  and  blos- 
soms out  into  the  perfection  of  a  man. — Fr.  Brown,  S.  J. 

Character  is  made,  not  given.  The  elements  are  born, 
indeed,  and  constructive  grace  is  given;  but  the  build- 
ing is  nevertheless  left  to  us.  Every  man  has  been 
materially  molded  and  spiritually  created  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God.  Though  the  infinite  aggregation 
of  humanity  does  not  exhaust  the  infinite  model,  yet  all 
represent  God,  and  no  two  men  reflect  Him  alike. 

Few  men  like  to  own  that  they  are  not  masters  of 
themselves.  The  more  a  man  feels  himself  to  be  a  slave, 
the  louder  are  likely  to  be  his  boasts  of  freedom.  In  a 
sense,  one  may  grant  his  claim.  But  in  every  man  are 
two  selves,  the  lower  and  the  higher.  The  question  is, 
Which  of  them  is  mast&r?  Does  the  flesh  obey  the  spirit's- 
will,  or  does  the  spirit  yield  to  the  craving  of  the  flesh? 
Is  it  the  body  or  the  soul  that  is  kept  under?  Which  is- 
the  self  that  rules  the  life? 

If  you  ask  what  is  the  temper  most  fitted  to  be  vic- 
torious over  sin  on  earth,  I  answer  that  in  it  the  warp 
of  a  sunny  gentleness  must  be  woven  across  the  woof 
of  a  strong  character.  That  will  make  the  best  tissue 
to  stand  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  world's  trials.  Our 
Lord  was  divinely  gentle,  but  He  was  also  strong  with 
a  wondrous  strength  and  firmness. 

Boys,  and  even  young  men,  do  not  appreciate  high 
value  of  character,  though  they  think  they  do.  It  i.^ 
only  when  one  gets  further  along  in  lilPe  that  its  price- 
lessness  is  perceived.  It  brings  immediate  respect,  honor, 
and  prosperity.  The  boy  who  is  known  to  be  truthful, 
known  to  be  faithful  and  trustworthy,  in  every  place  is 
looked  upon  with  warm  friendship  and  admiration  by 

15 


Character     and     Bow     It     Is     Formed 


people  whom  he  does  not  suspect  of  such  sentiments 
toward  him.  He  holds  the  key  to  the  homes  and  to  the 
business  houses  of  the  best  people.  He  is  in  the  line  of 
first  promotion  wherever  he  is.  A  cigar  will  place  him 
under  distrust;  a  glass  of  beer  will  condemn  him  as  a 
counterfeit  coin.  So  will  a  lie.  So  will  disrespectful 
conduct  toward  his  parents.  Any  of  these  is  a  fatal 
mark  of  discredit.  Nothing  is  so  admirable,  nor  any- 
thing so  much  admired  and  prized,  as  a  pure,  honest, 
honorable  boy  or  young  man.  Character  is  the  most 
precious  thing  in  the  world. — Alp.  M.  J.  Spalding. 

The  chief  concern  of  every  man  is  not,  as  it  should  be, 
the  formation  of  character.  The  most  wish  merely  to 
find  a  receipt  for  comfort,  or  a  way  to  acquire  riches  and 
whatever  else  they  aim  at. — Goethe. 

The  youth  Avho  to-day  is  building  a  character  should 
cultivate  patience,  with  which  he  can  suffer  wrongfully, 
the  fortitude  with  which  he  can  endure  hardships,  and 
the  forbearance  with  which  to  labor  under  misrepresenta- 
tion.   These  constitute,  in  themselves,  not  only  one  of 
the  greatest  means  of  developing  character,  but  also  one 
of  the  greatest  evidences  of  strength.    At  some  time  in 
his  experience  every  Christian  will  be  brought   to    the 
place  where  he  must  stand  alone  with  God. 
I  held  it  truth,  with  him  who  sings 
To  one  clear  harp  in  divers  tones. 
That  men  may  rise  on  stepping-stones 
Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things. 

— Tennyson. 

The  person  who  has  a  reputation  for  accuracy  and 
for  punctuality,  whose  work  is  always  thorough,  and 
whose  name  stands  for  the  best  he  can  do,  never  need 
fear  that  he  will  not  find  room  at  the  top. 

What  a  man  is,  is  his  character;  and  what  men  think 
him  to  be,  is  his  reputation.  A  man's  reputation  may 
be  variable,  but  his  character  is  apt  to  be  steadfast  and 
abiding.  Men  sometimes  think  they  are  building  char- 
acter when  they  are  only  getting  reputation.  Nobody 
can  give  character  but  the  man  himself  to  whom  it 
belongs. 

Though  a  man  have  comparatively  little  culture,  slen- 
der abilities,  and  but  small  wealth,  yet  if  his  character 
be  of  sterling  worth  he  will  always  command  an  influ- 
ence, whether  it  be  in  the  workshop,  the  counting-house, 
the  mart,  or  the  senate. 


16 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

Ever  remember,  in  thy  youth, 

That  he  who  firmly  tries 
To  conquer  and  to  rule  himself 
Is  noble,  brave,  and  wise. 

—Bro.  Luke,  F,  S.  C. 

Nothing  reveals  character  more  than  self-sacrifice.  So 
the  highest  knowledge  we  have  of  God  is  through  the 
gift  of  His  Son. — William  Harris. 

When  we  ask  what  kind  of  a  man  one  is,  we  do  not 
mean  to  inquire  about  his  information  or  his  posses- 
fcions,  but  about  his  character;  and  to  get  insight  into 
his  character  we  wish  to  learn,  not  what  he  knows,  but 
what  in  his  inmost  soul  he  believes,  hopes  and  strives 
for — his  tastes  and  preferences,  his  bearing  and  be- 
havior, the  breadth  and  depth  of  his  love,  the  largeness 
and  fullness  of  his  sympathies,  his  attitude  toward  the 
temporal  and  eternal. 

Character  is  primarily  moral;  it  is  what  a  man  is, 
not  the  kind  of  clothes  he  wears,  or  the  kind  of  infor- 
mation he  possesses.  It  is  a  result  of  nutrition  and 
growth,  and  can  in  no  wise  be  formed  by  mechanical 
processes;  and  since  character  is  the  man  him- 
self, it  is  precisely  this  moral  growth  which  it  is 
the  chief  business  of  the  school  to  promote ;  and  if  it 
fail  in  this,  it  fails  radically.  A  characterless  man  is 
neither  good  in  himself  nor  good  in  his  relations  to  any 
form  of  the  social  environment.  Character  is  formed 
by  cultivating  a  taste  for  what  is  true,  good,  and  fair; 
a  love  for  justice,  honesty,  and  kindness;  for  reverence, 
modesty,  and  courage;  a  loathing  for  dirt,  physical  and 
moral,  in  thought,  word,  and  deed;  a  scorn  of  lies,  hy- 
pocrisy, and  cant;  by  filling  the  young  with  profound 
faith  in  the  worth  and  sacredness  of  life,  by  helping 
them  to  feel  how  divine  a  thing  it  is  to  be  alive  when 
one  has  hope  and  enthusiasm,  is  chaste  and  loving,  wise 
and  helpful. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Just  as  the  understanding  can  be  developed  and  the 
memory  can  be  trained,  so  the  will  can  be  cultivated. 

The  young  'man  who  has  no  mind  of  his  own,  who 
gives  in  to  his  companions  on  all  occasions,  who  cannot 
deny  himself,  who  yields  easily  to  temptation,  who  is 
a  slave  to  his  stomach,  who  gratifies  every  passion  of  his 
body,  is  a  poor  stick.  He  lacks  stamina.  He  wants 
will-power.  To  the  valiant  heart  nothing  is  impossible; 
and  that  strength  of  character,  that  tenacity  of  purpose, 
that  fearlessness  of  resolution  that  bears  down  all  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  success,  can  be  obtained  by  practice  of 
the  will. 

17 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

"The  cultivation  of  this  quality/'  declares  Mr.  Samuel 
Smiles,  "is  of  the  greatest  importance — resolute  deter- 
mination in  the  pursuit  of  worthy  objects  being  the 
foundation  of  all  true  greatness  of  character.  Energy 
enables  a  man  to  force  his  way  through  irksome  drudgery 
and  dry  details  and  carries  him  onward  and  upward  in 
every  station  in  life.  It  accomplishes  more  than  genius, 
with  not  one-half  the  disappointment  and  peril.  It  is 
not  eminent  talent  that  is  required  to  insure  success  in 
any  pursuit  so  much  as  purpose ;  not  merely  the  power  to 
achieve,  but  the  will  to  labor  energetically  and  perse- 
veringly.  Hence  energy  of  will  may  be  defined  to  be 
the  very  central  power  of  character  in  a  man — in  a  word, 
it  is  the  man  himself." 

What  cannot  a  strong  will  accomplish  ?  Who  does  not 
desire  to  possess  a  will  of  steel  ? 

The  great  De  Lamennais  once  said  to  a  young  man : 
"That  which  the  easiest  becomes  a  habit  in  us  is  the 
will.  Learn,  then,  to  will  strongly  and  decidedly.  Thus 
-fix  your  wavering  life  and  let  it  no  longer  he  moved 
hither  and  thither,  like  a  luithered  leaf,  hy  every  wind 
that  hloius/' 

The  experience  of  mankind  has  made  the  proverb, 
"W^here  there's  a  will  there's  a  way."  Now,  let  there  be 
made  a  new  proverb:  "We  can  have  the  will  if  we 
want  to/' 

Do  you  want  a  firm  will  ?  Exercise  that  faculty.  Set 
yourself  a  task  every  day — yes,  a  dozen  times  a  day — a 
task  irksome  to  nature,  and  make  yourself  do  it,  just 
to  let  the  will  rule,  just  to  get  the  mastery.  Are  you 
disposed  to  lie  abed  late?  Fix  an  hour  at  which  you 
will  resolve  to  get  up,  and  then  do  get  up  at  that  time 
exactly,  day  after  day,  until  the  will  finds  no  resistance 
to  its  determination  to  arise  then. 

Are  you  inclined  to  over-indulge  your  appetite  in  eat- 
ing ?  Determine,  before  you  sit  down  to  table,  how  much 
food  you  shall  take,  and  that  you  will  arise  before  you 
feel  quite  satisfied.  Then  stick  to  the  portion  you  have 
allowed  yourself. 

Are  you  slow  at  work?  Resolve  to  be  prompt  and 
quick,  and  if  3^ou  can  set  yourself  a  stint,  do  so;  and 
then  get  through  with  that  stint  or  die. 

Exercise  the  will !  Exercise  the  will ! !  Exercise  the 
will!!! 

I  once  knew  a  young  man  who,  under  the  advice  of 
a  wise  director,  used  to  take  delight  in  the  struggle  for 
self-conquest,  to  tempt  his  tempter,  by  getting  up 
struggles  between  his  lower  self  and  his  will.     For  in- 

18 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

stance,  he  found  that  nicotine  was  getting  a  hold  on  his 
nervous  system,  so  he  resolved  to  give  up  tobacco,  but 
he  would  not  abandon  it  all  at  once.  ''Oh,  no,"  he  said ; 
"I  must  have  some  fun  with  it."  For  some  days,  while 
he  retrenched  somewhat,  he  would  take  a  pretty  good 
allowance  of  smoking.  The  next  day  he  would  not  suf- 
fer himself  to  have  one  whiff.  He  gloated  in  the  pangs 
that  it  caused  him  and  he  gloried  in  his  strength  of  will 
to  refuse  them.  The  next  day  he  would  smoke  one 
cigar — only  one — and  it  was  harder  to  stop  at  one  than 
to  have  none  at  all.  So  he  kept  up  the  torture,  merely 
to  exercise  his  resolution,  until  tobacco  had  no  more  hold 
on  him  than  candy  cigars,  and  his  system,  in  a  sort  of 
way,  almost  waited  for  the  decision  of  his  will  before 
asserting  any  liking  for  the  weed.  Similarly,  that  same 
chap  was  wont,  after  he  resolved  to  give  up  drink- 
ing liquor,  to  go  up  to  the  very  door  of  the  saloons  on  his 
way  home  from  work,  and  then  come  away  laughing  at 
his  lower  self  and  saying  to  himself:  "Nixey,  my  boy; 
no  whisky  for  you  any  more !" 

But  to  economize,  to  save,  cost  him  the  hardest  fight 
of  all.  He  was  a  born  spendthrift.  Money  burned  a 
hole  in  his  pocket.  The  first  trinket  he  saw  after  he 
had  a  dollar  of  his  own  in  hand  pulled  him  to  buy  it, 
as  the  pole  draws  the  needle.  Strangest  of  all,  he  was 
not  selfish  in  his  purchases,  many  of  the  knicknacks 
on  which  he  squandered  his  money  being  intended  as 
gifts  to  his  friends.  Finally  he  overcame  that  weakness 
and  made  his  will  the  master  by  living  up  to  these  two 
resolutions :  1.  I  will  save  six  dollars  a  week  out  of  my 
salary,  no  matter  what  happens.  2.  I  will  make  no 
ordinary  purchases  except  on  Wednesdays.  So  he  kept 
watch  on  his  needs,  so  as  to  provide  for  them  on  Wednes- 
day, in  advance,  and  when  he  had  neglected  to  do  so  he 
waited,  unless  the  purchase  was  indispensably  immedi- 
ate, until  the  following  Wednesday.  In  that  way  he 
controlled  his  passion  to  spend  and  forced  his  will  to 
make  him  frugal.  It  was  not  long  before  he  had  his 
first  thousand  dollars,  and,  that  point  once  reached,  the 
greatest  obstacle  toward  his  getting  a  home  and  amass- 
ing a  fortune  .was  overcome. 

He  kept  himself  pure,  too,  by  using,  besides  spiritual 
means,  his  will,  aided  by  other  means. 

First,  he  resolved  to  be  continent,  as  being  a  duty 
required  by  God.  Then  he  resolutely  avoided  thoughts, 
persons,  places,  reading,  food,  and  drink  that  tended  to 
make  him  unchaste.  He  took  plenty  of  exercise.  He 
ate  sparingly  at  night.    He  got  up  early  out  of  bed.    He 

10 


C  ha  racier     and     H  o  w     1 1     Is     Formed, 

took  a  cold  bath  daily,  and  twice  a  day  for  about  one 
week  each  month. 

With  his  will  fixed  on  virtue,  with  his  imagination 
under  control,  with  his  body  kept  down  by  abstemious, 
diet,  long  walks,  and  tiresome  gymnasium  work,  he  had 
good  reason  to  hope  that  his  prayer,  his  flight  of  the 
occasion  of  sin,  and  his  monthly  communion  would  keep 
him  clean  of  heart.  For  all  this  a  will-power  like  iron 
was  needed,  and  it  was  on  hand  when  it  was  needed, 
because  it  had  been  made  firm  by  practice. 

Fowel  Buxton,  who  was  a  principal  agent  in  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  slaves  throughout  the  British  Empire  in 
1834,  once  said : 

"The  longer  I  live,  the  more  I  am  certain  that  the 
great  difference  between  men,  between  the  feeble  and 
powerful,  the  great  and  the  insignificant,  is  energy — in- 
vincible determination — a  purpose  once  fixed,  and  then 
death  or  victory !  That  quality  will  do  anything  that 
can  be  done  in  this  world,  and  no  talents,  no  circum- 
stances, no  opposition,  will  make  a  two-legged  creature 
a  man  without  it." 

For  what  purpose  should  a  young  man  cultivate  his 
will? 

1.  To  conquer  his  body,  to  let  the  spiritual  part  of 
him  "boss"  the  animal  part  of  him,  to  be  master  of  the 
house  in  which  he  lives. 

2.  To  achieve  some  durable  successs  in  life,  to  have 
an  aim  and  to  strive  to  reach  it,  whether  it  be  learning, 
or  riches,  or  fame. 

3.  To  get  a  good  seat  in  heaven.  Let  the  weak-willed 
be  satisfied  with  a  "roost"  on  the  "bleachers";  don't 
you  be  content  with  anything  less  than  a  cushioned  chair 
in  the  grand  stand.  Exercise  the  will !  Exercise  the 
will ! !    Exercise  the  will ! ! ! 

We  lack  Avill  rather  than  strength,  are  able  to  do  more 
and  better  than  we  are  inclined  to  do,  and  say  we  can- 
not because  we  have  not  the  courage  to  say  we  will  not. 

Our  Ideals. 

Using  the  word  "ideal,"  not  as  something  visionary 
or  unreal,  but  as  "the  conception  of  a  thing  in  its  most 
perfect  state,"  and  making  ourselves  the  object  of  this 
conception,  we  open  to  our  minds  a  vista  of  great  pos- 
sibilities. To  have  a  conception  of  a  perfect  man  or  per- 
.  feet  woman  is  not  sufficient,  however ;  we  should  also 
have  an  unquenchable  desire  and  ambition  to  become 
p&rfect  mentally  and  physically,  as  nearly  as  possible. 
To  do  this  it  is  necessary  to  constantly  keep  our  ideals 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 

before  our  consciousness,  thereby  making  them  a  part 
of  our  life.  As  the  mental  faculties  in  their  action  cre- 
ate all  our  ideals,  we  need  but  cultivate  the  specific 
faculties,  which  will  make  our  ideals  more  perfect.  Let 
us  individually  find  oat  which  faculties  in  our  mental 
constitution  need  cultivation,  and  which  need  restrain- 
ing, and  then  act  accordingly,  and  our  ideals  will  soon 
reach  a  higher  plane. 

As  the  noblest  and  highest  creature  in  the  universe, 
ought  we  not  be  ashamed  to  blame  heredity,  environ- 
ment, circumstances,  or  anything  but  ourselves,  for  our 
shortcomings,  our  weaknesses,  our  failures?  Are  we 
not,  as  men  and  women,  capable  of  harnessing  nearly 
all  nature's  power  and  having  it  do  our  bidding,  able 
to  master  all  animals,  qualified  to  delve  into  the  mys- 
teries of  nature,  and  by  a  daily  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
added  to  the  experience  gleaned  from  the  brightest 
minds  in  all  the  past  ages,  enhance  our  knowledge  and 
power  to  an  extent  undreamt  of,  even  fifty  years  ago  ? 

Too  long  have  we  considered  ourselves  weak,  helpless 
mortals,  incapable  of  reaching  a  state  of  mind  and  body 
which  may  be  termed  approximately  perfect.  Let  us 
throw  aside  this  thought,  let  us  believe  in  our  ability 
to  become  better  and  better  in  character,  and  keep  this 
ideal  before  us  until  the  end  of  our  days.  We  can  then 
be  satisfied  that  we  are  doing  the  work  for  which  we 
have  been  placed  on  earth,  and  leave  it  better  because 
we  have  lived  on  it. 

What  does  it  mean  to  become  perfect  ?  Does  it  mean 
to  improve  our  desire  for  money,  for  honor,  for  fame, 
for  selfish  power,  for  selfish  pleasure  ?  No,  No ;  emphat- 
ically No.  To  become  perfect  means  to  become  more 
loving,  more  sympathetic,  more  reverent,  more  hopeful, 
more  conscientious,  more  courageous,  more  moral,  more 
self-reliant,  more  self-controlled,  more  helpful,  more 
tolerant,  more  spiritual,  more  tactful,  more  agreeable, 
more  thoughtful,  more  considerate,  more  learned,  more 
cheerful,  more  sincere,  more  cultured,  more  faithful, 
more  appreciative  of  the  beautiful ;  to  become  less  fitful, 
less  conceited,  less  quarrelsome,  less  subject  to  anger, 
less  stubborn,  less  grasping,  less  subject  to  our  appetites, 
less  impulsive,  less  revengeful,  less  fearful,  less  regardful 
of  petty  censure,  less  fault-finding — in  a  few  words,  to 
become  perfect,  we  must  strive  to  attain  the  highest 
and  best  qualities  of  character  that  the  greatest  and  best 
men  and  women  of  all  ages  possessed. 

Now  comes  that  weather-stained  and  moth-eaten  ex- 
cuse, "But  environment  and  circumstances  are  against 

21 


Character     and     Row     It     Is     Formed, 

me."  To  use  a  pertinent  slang  phrase,  "Forget  it ;  for- 
get it/'  It  is  simply  an  acknowledgment  of  our  weakness. 
What  were  insurmountable  difficulties  physically  to  the 
majority  of  people  have  been  overcome  by  a  few  who 
had  sufficient  strength,  self-confidence,  and  persistence. 
So-called  mental  impossibilities  can  also  be  overcome 
if  you  work  hard  enough.  Brace  up !  Make  up  your, 
mind  to  be  stronger  than  your  environment.  Get  out 
of  it,  if  no  duty  is  holding  you;  if  it  is  necessary  that 
you  stay  in  your  present  unfavorable  environment, 
change  it.  Perhaps  it  is  only  your  view  of  it  that  is 
wrong,  and  your  environment  to  another  would  be  the 
means  of  improvement,  calling  out  your  best  mental  and 
physical  powers.  Never  for  one  moment  dwell  on  the 
thought  that  circumstances  are  against  you.  Quit  your 
whining,  and  use  the  strength,  wasted  in  telling  and 
thinking  about  your  troubles,  in  efforts  to  overcome 
them.  Be  patient,  keep  your  ambition  fixed  on  improve- 
ment, learn,  study,  think,  concentrate  on  whatever  you 
do,  aim  at  perfection,  and  with  every  step  forward  the 
seemingly  impossible  will  become  easy,  and  your  life 
will  become  filled  out  with  the  pleasure  of  knowledge 
and  culture.  This,  in  turn,  means  an  intense  desire  to 
help  others  to  lead  a  happier  life,  which  happiness,  like 
the  boomerang,  returns  to  the  sender,  but,  unlike  it, 
leaves  its  impression  on  every  one  in  its  path. — W.  N. 
Holmes. 

Two  practical  considerations  should  flow  from  a  rec- 
ognition of  the  tremendous  power  of  influence:  1.  A 
young  man  must  be  on  his  guard  about  the  example  he 
gives  to  younger  members  of  the  family,  to  his  business, 
to  his  chums,  to  the  members  of  societies  to  which  he 
belongs,  and  to  inmates  of  homes  that  he  visits.  2.  He 
will  be  particular  about  the  company  that  he  himself 
keeps.  One  bad  apple  in  a  barrel  will  rot  the  whole  lot. 
One  young  man  whose  heart  is  corrupt,  whose  words  are 
foul,  whose  actions  are  vicious,  whose  principles  are 
base,  whose  character  is  mean,  goes  about  like  a  smallpox 
patient,  scattering  the  seeds  of  his  disease  among  all 
those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  His  influence 
is  maleficent.  And  it  cannot  be  escaped  by  any  one 
who  habitually  associates  with  him.  So  the  young  man 
who  is  determined  not  to  become  vile,  as  he  is,  will 
avoid  him  and  all  who  are  like  him.  He  will  choose 
for  his  friends  those  whose  minds  are  bright,  whose 
talk  is  clean,  and  whose  conduct  is  virtuous;  for  their 
influence  will  buoy  him.  upward  and  onward. 


Character     and     How     It     Is     Formed. 
The  Dehacahle,  or  Evil  Aftermath, 

(The  Old  Worldlng.) 

He  shambles  by  each  sunny  afternoon; 

His  portly  form  is  shrunken  as  a  specter. 
His  face  is  vacant  as  the  morning  moon. 

Quaffed  is  his  nectar. 

Out  of  his  eyes  the  dancing  light  is  gone, 

Out  of  his  blood  the  wanton  warmth  that  thrilled  it, 
Out  of  his  air  the  charm  that  conquests  won 

When  fancy  willed  it. 

Proud  was  his  port  and  tasty  his  array; 

His   days    and    nights    o'erflowed    with    song    and 
laughter ; 
He  never  dreamed  that  these  would  pacs  away 

And  this  come  after. 

He  courted  pleasure  and  secured  it  still; 

He  asked  for  friends  and  loves,  and  these  were  given ; 
He  craved  all  worldly  good  and  had  his  fill; 

He  sought  not  Heaven. 

His  friends  have  vanished  never  to  return; 

His  pleasures,  treasures,  all  his  heart's  desire; 
His  passions  only  in  their  embers  burn; 

Mute  is  his  lyre. 

For  him  the  eventide  has  brought  no  light; 

Its  sighing  breezes  pity  as  they  kiss  him; 
The  dark  will  bear  him  to  the  wastes  of  night; 

Earth  will  not  miss  him. 

— Boston  Transcript. 


W0^^M^f'^^o^^WM0^^^ 


CHAPTEE  11. 
Health,  Hatbits  atiid  Temperance. 

No  man  is  a  free  man  who  has  a  vice  for  his  master. — 
Socrates. 

All  philosophy  lies  in  two  words — sustain  and  ahstam. 
— Epictetus. 

I  have  learDed  to  seek  my  happiness  by  limiting  my 
desires,  rather  than  in  attempting  to  satisfy  them. — 
John  Stuart  Mill. 

Most  men  call  fretting  a  minor  fault — a  foible,  and 
not  a  vice.  But  there  is  no  vice,  except  it  be  drunken- 
ness, which  can  so  utterly  destroy  the  peace  and  happi- 
ness of  a  home. — Helen  Hunt. 

To  live  long  it  is  necessary  to  live  slowly. — Cicero. 

Health  is,  indeed,  so  necessary  to  all  the  duties  as 
well  as  pleasures  of  life,  that  the  crime  of  squandering 
it  is  equal  to  the  folly;  and  he  that  for  a  short  gratifi- 
cation brings  weakness  and  diseases  upon  himself,  and 
for  the  pleasure  of  a  few  years  passed  in  the  tumults 
of  diversion  and  clamors  of  merriment,  condemns  the 
maturer  and  more  experienced  part  of  his  life  to  the 
chamber  and  the  couch,  may  be  justly  reproached,  not 
only  as  a  spendthrift  of  his  happiness,  but  as  a  robber 
of  the  public ;  as  a  wretch  that  has  voluntarily  disquali- 
fied himself  for  the  business  of  his  station  and  refused 
that  part  which  Providence  assigns  him  in  the  general 
task  of  human  nature. — Johnson. 

There  are  four  good  habits — punctuality,  accuracy, 
steadiness,  and  dispatch.  Without  the  first  of  these,  time 
is  wasted;  without  the  second,  mistakes  the  most  hurtful 
to  our  own  credit  and  interest,  and  that  of  others,  may  be 
committed;  without  the  third,  nothing  can  be  well  done; 
and  without  the  fourth,  opportunities  of  great  advan- 
tage are  lost  which  it  is  impossible  to  recall. 

Be  reserved,  but  not  sour;  grave,  but  not  formal; 
bold,  but  not  rash ;  humble,  but  not  servile ;  patient,  but 
not  insensible;  constant,  but  not  obstinate;  cheerful,  but 

24 


Health,       Habits       and       Temperance, 

not  light.  Eather  be  sweet-tempered  than  familiar,  fa- 
miliar rather  than  intimate,  and  intimate  with  very 
FEW^  and  upon  good  ground  with  all. 

Lay  aside  life's  harming  heaviness, 
And  cultivate  a  cheerful  disposition. 

— Shakespeare. 

The  art  of  life  is  to  knov/  how  to  enjoy  little  and 
endure  much. — Hazlitt. 

Choose  the  life  that  is  most  useful,  and  habit  will 
make  it  the  most  agreeable. — Bacon. 

Each  year,  one  vicious  habit  rooted  out,  in  time  ought 
to  make  the  worst  man  good. — FranJdin. 

We  are  the  slaves  of  our  needs;  the  fewer  they  are, 
the  freer  are  we;  the  higher  they  are,  the  nobler  the  mas- 
ters we  serve.  Not  independence,  but  interdependence, 
is  the  law  of  our  life.  It  is  only  in  ministering  to  one 
another,  in  bearing  one  another's  burdens,  in  sharing 
one  another's  joys,  that  we  become  human  and  truly 
live.  Let  us  draw  closer  together,  that  we  may  feel 
pulsings  of  divine  sympathy  and  love  in  one  another's 
hearts.  If  we  stand  apart  we  shall  be  stranded  in  the 
great  river;  we  shall  miss  the  good  of  living;  we  shall 
lose  God. 

Prosperity  goes  by  the  saloon  without  stopping. 

It  is  not  what  we  earn,  but  what  we  save,  that  makes 
us  rich.  It  is  not  what  we  eat,  but  what  we  digest,  that 
makes  us  strong.  It  is  not  what  we  read,  but  what  we 
remember,  that  makes  us  wise.  It  is  not  what  we  in- 
tend, but  what  we  do,  that  m.akes  us  useful.  It  is  not 
a  few  faint  wishes,  but  a  lifelong  struggle,  that  makes 
us  valiant. 

To  be  pure-minded  and  cheerfully  disposed  at  hours 
of  meat,  sleep,  and  exercise  is  one  of  the  best  precepts 
of  long  lasting. — Bacon. 

The  cheerful  man,  truly  wise,  creams  off  nature,  leav- 
ing the  sour  and  the  dregs  for  philosophy  and  reason 
to  lap  on. — Swift. 

Temperance  and  labor  are  the  two  best  physicians 
of  man.  Labor  sharpens  the  appetite,  and  temperance 
prevents  him  from  indulging  to  excess. — Rousseau. 

To  be  truly  temperate  we  must  be  moderate  in  eating 
and  drinking — yes.  and  in  fasting  too.  We  must  have 
self-confidence  without  stubbornness,  and  self-respect 
without  pride.  We  must  neither  be  anxious  nor  apa- 
thetic, neither  cowardly  nor  quarrelsome.  We  may  be 
polite  without  being  deceitful,  and  candid  without  being 
rude.  We  need  not  be  silent,  yet  we  must  not  talk  in- 
cessantly. 


Health,       Habits       and       Temperance, 

When  alone,  we  have  our  thoughts  to  watch;  in  the 
family,  our  temper ;  in  society,  our  tongues.  We  should 
endeavor  to  illustrate  our  devotions  in  the  morning  by 
our  conduct  through  the  day. 

In  the  company  of  strangers,  silence  is  safe. 

He  who  gives  his  heart  will  not  deny  his  money. 

We  are  not  done  with  life  as  we  live.  We  shall  meet 
our  acts  and  words  and  influence  again.  A  man  will 
reap  what  he  sows,  and  he  himself  will  be  the  reaper. 
We  go  on  sowing  carelessly,  never  dreaming  that  we 
shall  see  our  seeds  again.  Then,  some  day,  we  come  to 
an  ugly  plant  growing  somewhere,  and  when  we  ask, 
"What  is  this?"  the  answer  comes,  "I  am  one  of  your 
plants.  You  dropped  the  seed  which  grew  in  me."  We 
shall  have  to  give  an  account  of  the  seed  that  grows  from 
our  sowing. — Fr.  McLaughlin,  C.  S.  S.  R. 

To  be  honest ;  to  be  kind ;  to  earn  a  little  and  to  spend 
a  little  less;  to  ma*ke,  upon  the  whole,  a  family  happier 
by  his  presence;  to  renounce  where  that  shall  be  neces- 
sary, and  not  to  be  embittered ;  to  keep  few  friends,  but 
these  without  capitulation;  above  all,  on  the  same  grim 
condition,  to  keep  friends  with  himself — here  is  a  task 
for  all  men  of  fortitude  and  delicacy. — Robert  Louis 
Stevenson. 

An  old  toper  says  it's  the  drinking  between  drinks 
that  hurts  a  fellow. 

Irresolution  is  a  fatal  habit;  is  not  vicious  in  itself, 
but  it  leads  to  vice,  creeping  upon  its  victims  with  a 
fatal  facility,  the  penalty  of  which  many  a  fine  heart 
has  paid  at  the  scaffold.  The  idler,  the  spendthrift, 
the  epicurean,  and  the  drunkard  are  among  its  victims. 
Perhaps  in  the  latter  its  effects  appear  in  the  most 
hideous  form.  He  knows  that  the  goblet  he  is  about 
to  drain  is  poison,  yet  he  swallows  it.  He  knows,  for 
the  example  of  thousands  has  painted  it  in  glaring 
colors,  that  it  will  deaden  all  his  faculties,  take  the 
strength  from  his  limbs  and  the  happiness  from  his 
heart,  oppress  him  with  disease,  and  hurry  his  progress 
to  a  dishonored  grave;  yet  he  drains  it.  How  beautiful, 
on  the  contrary,  is  the  power  of  resolution,  enabling 
the  one  who  possesses  it  to  pass  through  perils  and 
dangers,  trials  and  temptations.  Avoid,  then,  the  con- 
traction of  the  habit  of  irresolution.  Strive  against  it 
to  the  end. 

The  Scientific  American  says :  "It  is  our  observation 
that  constant  beer-drinking  in  this  country  produces 
the  very  lowest  kind  of  inebriety,  closely  allied  to  in- 
sanity.    Intellectually,  a  stupor  amounting  to  almost 


Health,       II  ah  it  s       and       Temperance, 

paralysis  arrests  the  reason,  changing  all  the  higher 
faculties  into  a  mere  animalism,  selfish,  sluggish,  varied 
only  with  paroxysm  of  anger,  senseless  and  brutal." 

Infinite  toil  would  not  enable  you  to  sweep  away  a 
mist,  but  by  ascending  a  little  you  may  often  look  over 
it  altogether.  So  it  is  with  our  moral  improvements: 
we  wrestle  fiercely  with  a  vicious  habit,  which  would 
have  no  hold  of  us  if  we  ascended  into  a  higher  moral 
etmosphere. 

Intemperance  is  one  of  the  greatest  curses  of  our  age; 
the  young,  especially,  should  therefore  be  put  upon  their 
guard  against  a  vice  that  is  yearly  bringing  thous;inds 
To  ruin  and  degradation.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  a  disorder  so  difficult,  almost  impossible,  to  cure,  is 
easily  prevented.  It  behooves  all,  and  parents  in  par- 
ticular, to  keep  from  the  young  what  might  be  to  them 
on  occasion  of  sin,  of  ruin  of  body  and  soul.  The 
ancient  Spartans  held  the  vice  of  drunkenness  in  such 
horror  that  they  intoxicated  their  slaves  in  order  to  show 
by  their  example  to  what  a  degrading  condition  drunk- 
enness brings  human  nature.  Christians  who  fall  have 
aids  that  the  pagans  had  not,  namely,  the  sacraments; 
but  such  is  the  effect  of  drunkenness  that  few  can  be 
prevailed  upon  to  apply  the  remedy.  Prevention  is  the 
safer  course. 

His  best  companions,  innocence  and  health; 
And  his  best  riches,  ignorance  of  wealth. 

— Goldsmith. 

The  chains  of  habit  are  generally  too  small  to  be  felt 
until  they  are  too  strong  to  be  broken. — Johnson. 

While  we  would  ardently  rejoice  and  pray  at  our  young 
men  conquering  the  bad  habit  of  drinking,  we  would 
rather  prefer  that  they  would  not  acquire  it. 

Whenever  an  indulged  propensity  becomes  a  passion, 
and  the  will  is  enslaved  by  blind  impulse,  the  question 
of  insanity  is  only  one  of  time. 

Impure  w^ords  and  blows  are  often  the  accompani- 
ments of  wine. — Lucretius. 

Do  you  want  to  know  where  a  boy  usually  begins  to 
be  fast?  With  a  cigarette.  It  is  the  lad's  first  step 
to  bravado,  resistance  to  sober  morality,  and  a  bold  step 
in  disobedience.  Just  now  take  the  matter  on  the  sci- 
entific side.  Tobacco  blights  a  boy's  finest  powers — 
wit,  muscle,  conscience.  Nations  are  legislating  against 
it.  Germany,  with  all  her  smoke,  says:  "No  tobacco 
in  the  schools."  It  spoils  their  brains  and  makes  them 
too  small  for  soldiers.  Knock  at  the  great  military  in- 
stitutions of  France.     "No  tobacco"   is  the  response. 

27 


Health,       Habits       and       T  em  p  erance . 

Try  West  Point  and  Annapolis.  "Drop  that  cigarette!", 
is  the  word.  Indeed,  smoking  boys  are  not  likely  to  go 
so  far  as  that. 

Major  Huston  of  the  Marine  Corps,  who  is  in  charge 
of  the  Washington  navy  barracks,  says  that  one-fifth  of 
all  the  boys  examined  are  rejected  for  heart  disease, 
of  which  ninety-nine  cases  in  one  hundred  come  from 
cigarettes.  His  first  question  is,  "Do  you  smoke  ?"  "No, 
sir,"  is  the  invariable  reply.  But  the  record  is  stamped 
on  the  very  body  of  the  lad,  and  out  he  goes.  Apply  for 
a  position  in  a  bank.  If  you  use  tobacco,  beer,  cards, 
the  bank  has  no  use  for  you. 

Business  life  demands  fine  brains,  steady  nerve,  firm 
conscience.  Watch  the  boys.  See  one  sixteen  years  in 
age,  twelve  in  size,  twenty  in  sin,  and  he  smokes,  prob- 
ably chews  and  drinks.  Babes  of  seven  and  eight  are 
in  it.  The  vice  increases.  I  could  pile  up  statistics  by 
the  hour,  testimony  from  the  highest  medical  authority, 
of  the  misery  preparing  and  already  come. 

The  requirements  of  health  can  be  counted  on  the 
fingers  of  one  hand.  They  are  good  air,  good  food,  suit- 
able clothing,  cleanliness,  exercise,  and  rest. 

Temperance  is  the  moderate  use  of  all  things  helpful 
and  total  abstinence  from  all  things  harmful. 

To  effect  great  popular  moral  reforms,  the  religious 
element  in  man,  the  conscience  power  within  him,  must 
be  appealed  to.  You  cannot  legislate  him  into  moral- 
ity. Morality  requires  sacrifice  of  selfishness,  and  sac- 
rifice of  selfishness  requires  a  motive;  and  religion  alone 
can  furnish  the  adequate  motive.  You  may  seek  to 
strike  at  the  saloon,  and  urge  men  to  pass  it,  as  the 
Greeks  passed  the  temples  of  their  Furies,  "without  look- 
ing, without  speaking,  without  breathing";  you  may 
enact  the  most  stringent  laws  against  Sunday  drinking, 
and  create  a  powerful  public  opinion  which  will  brand  as 
disgraceful  the  slightest  abuse  of  alcoholic  drinks.  All 
these  influences  may  act  as  breakwaters  against  the  tide 
of  intemperance,  and  thus  do  some  good.  But  that  tide 
will  flow  in  part  into  other  channels.  The  so-called 
"speak-easy"  will  succeed  the  saloon,  and  private  drink- 
ing, perhaps  to  even  greater  excess,  will  succeed  the 
public  indulgence.  Men  will  flatter  themselves  that  they 
can  avoid  disgrace  by  remaining  at  home,  or  that  they 
are  strong  enough  to  drink  without  its  being  observed 
by  their  neighbors.  The  saloons  are,  indeed,  causes  for 
intemperance,  but  they  are  themselves  but  the  effects 
of  the  unrestrained  thirst  for  drink.  You  must  seek 
out  the  cause  of  the  cause  and  go  to  the  foundation  of 


Health,       Habits       and       Temperance. 

the  heart  and  there  drop  in  the  sweetening  word  of 
religious  influence.  Tell  the  man  that  drunkenness  is 
not  a  mere  pardonable  weakness,  made  to  excuse  many 
excesses  into  which  he  falls  whilst  in  this  state.  Appeal 
to  the  religious  element  within  him;  tell  him  drunken- 
ness is  a  mortal  sin,  which  excludes  from  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven,  into  which  "drunkards  shall  never  enter.'* 
Tell  him  it  is  a  great  crime  which  destroys  the  image 
of  God  in  his  soul;  that  otiier  sins  are  against  the  dic- 
tates of  reason,  hut  this  aims  a  blow  at  Reason  herself, 
which  it  dethrones;  that  it  strikes  down  the  trinity  of 
the  soul — intellect,  memory,  and  will;  that  by  it  man 
is  subjected  to  the  punishment  of  hell,  and  is  guilty 
of  the  blackest  ingratitude  toward  a  beneficent  God. 
Tell  him  that  intemperance  wakes  up  the  sleeping  de- 
mons, the  passions  of  the  human  heart — anger,  pride, 
jealousy,  impurity;  and  he  has  to  fight  these,  unaided 
by  the  reason  he  has  dethroned  and  the  God  he  has  de- 
serted; yet  if  he  falls  he  is  held  accountable  for  the 
crimes  he  could  and  should  have  foreseen,  as  the  con- 
sequences of  his  intemperance.  Tell  him  he  will  con- 
tinue to  sin  in  his  grave;  that,  "being  dead,  he  will  yet 
speak"  and  blaspheme  because  of  the  example  he  has 
left  to  his  children.  Bring  him  on  his  knees  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  Let  the  whole  influence  of  the  mighty 
religious  element  which  is  part  of  every  man's  nature, 
as  real  as  the  intellect  and  heart  element — let  all  this  be 
brought  into  action,  and  you  have  done  more  than  civil 
law  or  public  opinion  can  effect.  Observe,  I  do  not 
condemn  such  laws  if  judiciously  framed  and  wisely 
administered,  but  I  say  they  are  not  enough.  They  deal 
with  symptoms  and  effects  and  partial  causes,  but  re- 
ligion alone  probes  to  the  heart.  And  this  principle  is 
true,  not  only  of  intemperance,  but  of  other  vices  of 
which  intemperance  is  the  parent.  Hence  the  necessity 
of  religion  for  the  stability  of  the  State,  which  vice 
undermines. — Ahp.  Ryan  of  Philadelphia. 

"Oh,  if  I  had  only  been  instructed  in  my  youth !" 
said  a  somewhat  elderly  man  yesterdav,  whose  physical 
health  is  breaking  and  whose  mind  begins  to  give  in- 
dications of  decay.  "I  would  not  have  committed  the 
indiscretions  and  excesses  that  have  broken  me  down." 

Fathers  are  reluctant  to  tell  their  adolescent  sons 
what  they  should  know  about  self  and  sex,  the  care  of 
virginity  and  the  transmission  of  life;  and  even  teachers 
and  confessors  most  usually  take  many  things  for 
granted  in  the  way  of  supposing  that  youths  are  suffi- 
ciently inform^ed  concerning  sins  against  holy  purity. 


Health,       Habits       and       Temper  an  ce. 

Possibly,  as  a  rule,  they  are.  Sometimes,  however,  they, 
are  not.  Occasionally  they  then  form  an  injurious  habit 
before  they  know  what  they  are  doing. 

Speaking,  therefore,  from  the  point  of  view,  not  of 
the  teacher  or  confessor  who  is  treating  of  morality,  nor 
of  the  parent  who  wishes  to  guard  against  disgrace,  but 
of  a  physician  concerned  only  about  the  physical  health 
of  young  men,  may  I  offer  some  suggestions  for  the 
well-being  of  the  growing  lads  who  read  this  article — 
young  fellows  between  fifteen  and  twenty-five,  in  the 
decade  before  most  men  marry  ? 

1.  Marriage  is  honorable.  It  was  designed  by  God. 
It  is  a  holy  state.  Over  it  God  and  nature  watch  with 
a  jealous  eye,  because  it  is  like  an  imitation  of  the  origi- 
nal and  direct  Creative  Act  of  God;  because,  as  it  were, 
it  compels  His  co-operation,  and  because  it  has  such 
endless  consequences  on  souls  for  generation  after  gen- 
eration. Sins  against  its  chastity  are  usually  punished 
in  this  life  by  diseases,  by  insanity,  by  death.  Even  in 
marriage  there  is  need  of  self-restraint,  of  the  chastity 
of  the  married  state,  and  of  great  modesty.  Before 
marriage,  continence  should  be  inviolate.  Purity  is  not 
only  possible,  but  it  is,  of  precept,  obligatory,  beneficial, 
and  strengthening.  It  can  be  easily  observed.  Offenses 
against  it,  if  repeated  at  any  length,  are  sure  to  be  vis- 
ited with  chastisement  from  nature  and  are  certain  to 
bring  down  on  the  guilty  one  the  vengeance  of  God. 

Go  to  our  lunatic  asylums  and  see  the  gibbering 
wrecks  of  men  there,  moping,  idiotic,  raving,  homicidal, 
eager  to  kill  themselves.  What  caused  their  insanity? 
.In  most  cases,  self-abuse,  liquor,  and  debauchery. 

Go  to  the  graveyards,  where  young  men  are  buried 
before  their  time.  What  broke  them  down  and  sent 
them  to  fill  premature  graves?  Self-abuse  and  de- 
bauchery. 

Go  and  see  the  children  in  the  hospitals  for  incur- 
ables— syphilitic,  scrofulous,  broken  out  with  sores,  un- 
able even  to  stand,  from  rotten  bone  or  diseased  mar- 
row. What  produced  their  afflictions?  The  sins  of 
their  fathers  against  the  sixth  commandment. 

Consider  the  families  that  are  followed  by  misfor- 
tunes, that  meet  with  dreadful  accidents,  that  are  pur- 
sued with  trouble.  To  what  are  their  tribulations  at- 
tributable? Often  and  often  to  the  secret  sins  of  the 
father,  committed  maybe  years  before,  but  which  have 
merited  the  anger  of  Heaven. 

King  David^s  sin  was  not  punished  for  years,  but 

30 


Health,       II  ah  it  s       and       Temperance, 

finally  it  broke  his  heart  when  one  of  the  penalties  was 
the  death  of  his  beloved  son ! 

How  can  a  young  man  keep  continent  ? 

1.  By  temperance  in  eating  and  drinking,  especially 
at  the  evening  meal.  A  light  supper  is  better  than  a 
heavy  dinner  at  night. 

2.  By  abstinence  from  intoxicating  liquor,  especially 
from  whisky  and  the  like,  that  fire  the  blood  and  stimu- 
late passion. 

3.  By  cutting  off  unnecessary  sleep  and  spending  no 
time  in  bed  in  a  half-awake,  half-asleep  condition.  No 
lolling  in  bed !  Lie  only  on  the  side,  and  preferably  on 
the  right  side.  Lying  on  the  back  produces  snoring  and 
leads  to  unpleasant  dreams. 

4.  By  hard  exercise,  that  toughens  the  body,  works  oif 
unnecessary  energy,  and  brings  back  into  the  general 
system  strength  not  needed  locally.  Take  brisk  walks, 
ride  a  bicycle,  join  a  baseball  club,  use  dumb-bells,  join 
a  gymnasium;  do  any  sort  of  labor  that  will  keep  the 
fiesh  from  being  soft  and  the  mind  in  a  flabby,  yielding 
frame.  Be  brave  to  be  hard  on  your  carcass,  lest  it  get 
the  mastery  and  subdue  your  soul. 

5.  By  pain,  if  necessary,  to  conquer  the  beast;  by 
sharp  pain,  inflicted  with  a  rope's  end,  as  the  saints  of 
old  did  and  the  monks  of  to-day  do  when  they  "take 
the  discipline,"  as  they  call  it.  St.  Paul,  that  hero,  did 
so.  "I  chastise  my  body,"  he  wrote  publicly,  "and  bring 
it  unto  subjection."  Do  likewise,  if  ordinary  means  will 
not  suffice;  do  it  anyhow,  if  you  have  the  grit  to  be 
resolved  to  be  master  of  your  body,  be  the  cost  what  it 
may.  Don't  be  afraid  that  you'll  hurt  yourself.  You'll 
not  be  apt  to  strike  too  hard. 

6.  By  avoiding  touches,  positions,  etc.,  as  loathsome, 
degrading,  and  sinful.  Keep  out  of  solitude.  Make  an 
elderly  and  virtuous  friend  in  whom  to  conflde  your 
difficulties.  Seek  bright  comany,  the  company  of  the 
good,  of  the  members  of  a  young  men's  institute  or  so- 
dality. 

7.  By  keeping  the  mind  pure.  Don't  indulge  in  im- 
pure thoughts,  imaginings,  dreams.  Don't  listen  to 
dirty  stories.  Don't  read  vile  books.  Don't  look  at 
suggestive  objects — keep  a  guard  over  the  eyes  and  don't 
hesitate  to  look  away  or  to  close  your  eyelids  at  what 
had  better  not  be  seen.  Fill  the  imagination  with  pure 
pictures,  clean  thoughts,  pleasant  memories.  Read 
good  books.  Eemember  the  presence  of  God.  His  eye 
sees  you  now ! 

81 


Health,       II  ah  it  s       and       Temperance. 

8.  By  avoiding  corrupt  companions,  male  and  fe- 
male, those  who  talk  smart,  those  who  permit  improper 
familiarities. 

9.  By  taking  cold  baths  for  four  or  five  days  in  suc- 
cession, once  a  month,  at  regular  times.  By  these  means, 
together  with  what  the  teacher  or  confessor  will  sug- 
gest of  prayer  and  the  frequent  reception  of  the  sacra- 
ments, any  young  man  can  keep  his  purity  unsullied. 
Thereby  he  will  be  healthier,  stronger,  and  nobler  than 
if  he  yields  to  evil  thoughts  and  vicious  practices. 
Thereby  he  will  live  longer.  Thereby  he  will  keep  from 
premature  decay,  from  consumption  due  to  a  forced  loss 
of  vitality,  from  paresis,  locomotor  ataxia,  paralysis,  and 
insanity.  Thereby  he  will  remember  his  Creator  in  the 
days  of  his  youth  and  deserve  the  benediction  of  the 
Beautitude,  that  says:  "Blessed  are  the  clean  of  heart, 
for  they  shall  see  God." — Catholic  Columbian. 

Variety  of  exercise  is  healthful.  Gladstone  was 
noted  for  his  outdoor  life.  When  asked  the  secret  of 
his  vigorous  health  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  he 
replied :  "There  was  once  a  road  leading  out  of  London, 
on  which  more  horses  died  than  on  any  other;  and  in- 
quiry revealed  the  fact  that  it  was  perfectly  level.  Con- 
sequently the  animals,  in  traveling  over  it,  used  only 
one  set  of  muscles.  Continuous  employment  of  the 
same  physical  powers  on  the  same  lines  result  in  phy- 
sical exhaustion.  It  is  varied  and  symmetrical  exer- 
cise of  the  mind  and  the  muscles  that  lies  at  the  base 
of  any  sound  system  of  physical  training." 

In  every  person  who  comes  near  you,  look  for  what 
is  good  and  strong.  Honor  that;  rejoice  in  it,  as  you 
can ;  try  to  imitate  it,  and  your  faults  will  drop  off  like 
dead  leaves  when  their  time  comes. — Buskin. 

In  the  time  of  strength  every  one  should  prepare  for 
old  age,  for  it  advances  inevitably  and  will  not  be  de- 
nied except  by  means  of  death. 

The  body,  the  mind,  and  the  soul  should  be  made 
ready  for  it :  the  body,  by  temperance  insuring  its  health 
and  by  the  accumulation  of  a  competence  for  its  care; 
the  mind,  by  the  acquisition  of  noble  thoughts  and 
sweet  memories ;  the  soul,  by  a  growth  in  goodness  that 
will  increase  its  hope  as  the  shadows  darken  around  it. 

The  sins  of  youth  are  often  visited  on  old  age.  In- 
digence punishes  former  prodigality;  disease  follows 
gluttony  and  impurity ;  sorrow  expiates  old-time  carous- 
ing; and  shame  makes  up  for  the  infliction  of  disgrace 
upon  others  in  the  days  of  wild  passion. 


Health,       H  ah  it  s       and       Temperance. 

How  beautiful  is  a  serene  old  age !  It  is  the  best  of 
life,  when  anxieties  no  longer  overwhelm,  when  gentle- 
ness has  taken  the  place  of  strife,  when  there  are  no 
more  fears,  when  enmities  are  all  forgiven,  when  friend- 
ships are  treasured,  when  the  conviction  is  formed  that 
transitory  things  never  did  matter  except  in  so  far  as 
they  affected  the  eternal,  and  when  faith  grows  more 
bright  as  it  looks  calmly  to  the  end.  Halcyon  time, 
when  the  heart  is  no  longer  troubled  by  vanity,  but  fixes 
itself  on  what  will  never  die — on  kindness  and  love  and 
God! — Catholic  Columbian. 

All  of  us  who  are  worth  anything  spend  our  manhood 
in  unlearning  the  follies  or  expiating  the  mistakes  of 
our  youth. — Shelley. 

0  God,  that  men  should  put  an  enemy  in  their 
mouths  to  steal  away  their  brains !  That  we  should,  with 
joy,  revel,  pleasure,  and  applause,  transform  ourselves 
into  beasts !  To  be  now  a  sensible  man,  by  and  by  a 
fool,  and  presently  a  beast !  0  strange !  Every  inordinate 
cup  is  unblessed,  and  the  ingredient  is  a  devil. — Shakes- 
peare. 

"We  admonish  those  Catholics  who  are  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors,  that  they  seriously  con- 
sider how  many  and  how  great  are  the  dangers  and  oc- 
casions of  sin  which  surround  their  avocation,  however 
licit  in  itself  this  avocation  may  be.  Let  them  adopt, 
if  they  can,  a  more  decent  method  of  gaining  a  liveli- 
hood.^'— Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore,  1889. 

Drunkenness  is  not  only  the  cause  of  crime,  but  it  is 
a  crime,  and  if  any  encourage  drunkenness  for  the  sake 
of  the  profit  derived,  they  are  guilty  of  a  form  of  moral 
assassination  as  criminal  as  any  that  has  ever  been  prac- 
ticed by  the  bravos  of  any  country  or  of  any  age. — Rus- 
kin. 


CHAPTER  III. 
Ma-nners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

Manners  are  the  shadows  of  virtues;  the  momentary 
display  of  those  qualities  which  our  fellow-creatures 
love  and  respect.  If  we  strive  to  become,  then,  what  we 
strive  to  appear,  manners  may  often  be  rendered  useful 
guides  to  the  performance  of  our  duties. — Sydney  Smith. 

There  is  a  lady  hidden  in  every  woman,  as  there  is 
a  gentleman  hidden  in  every  man;  and  no  matter  how 
far  the  actual  may  be  from  the  possible,  one  thing  is 
certain,  that  a  true  lady  or  a  true  gentleman  is  always 
recognized  and  acknowledged  by  this  secret  nobility  in 
the  human  heart. — John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

Good  manners  imply  every  saving  grace  known  un- 
der heaven  among  men  and  women. 

Good  manners  are  the  absolutely  transparent  medium 
of  conveying  to  the  world  the  benevolence  of  a  good 
heart;  good  manners  involve  and  include  every  depart- 
ment of  the  human  being — body  and  soul,  and  spirit, 
heart  and  mind,  imagination  and  conscience,  discrim- 
ination and  judsrment.  The  whole  duty  of  man  to  man 
is  embraced  in  good  manners. — Gail  Hamilton. 

Rise  to  take  leave  while  you  are  the  speaker — not 
when  the  conversation  has  languished,  lest  you  appear 
to  go  because  you  are  bored. 

Deliberate  much  before  doing  or  saying  anything,  for 
you  have  not  the  power  of  recalling  what  has  been  said 
or  done. — Epictetus. 

To-morrow  is  not  elastic  enough  in  which  to  press 
the  neglected  duties  of  to-day. 

Do  not  wear  on  your  countenance  offensive  looks, 
which,  though  harmless,  are  unpleasant. — Thucydides. 

He  who  praises  himself  will  soon  find  some  one  to 
laugh  at  him. — Syracuse. 

A  moral,  sensible,  and  well-bred  man  will  not  affront 
me,  and  no  other  can. — Cowper. 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

Neglect  no  opportunity  of  doing  good,  nor  cheek  thy 
desire  of  doing  it  by  a  vain  fear  of  what  may  happen. — 
Atterhury. 

Immodest  words  admit  of  no  defense, 

For  want  of  modesty  is  want  of  sense. — Pope. 

Lend  not  beyond  thy  ability,  nor  refuse  to  lend  out 
of  thy  ability,  especially  when  it  will  help  others  more 
than  it  can  hurt  thee. 

Cheerfulness  is  an  excellent  wearing  quality.  It  has 
been  called  the  bright  weather  of  the  heart.  It  gives 
harmony  to  the  soul,  and  is  a  perpetual  song  without 
words.  It  is  tantamount  to  repose.  It  enables  nature 
to  recruit  its  strength,  whereas  worry  and  discontent 
debilitate  it,  involving  constant  wear  and  tear. 

There  is  but  little  bad  luck  in  this  world,  but  there 
is  a  heap  of  bad  management. 

Like  the  bee,  we  should  make  our  industry  our 
amusement. 

God  gives  every  bird  its  food,  but  does  not  throw  it 
into  the  nest. 

He  that  goes  a-borrowing  goes  a-sorrowing. — Frank- 
lin. 

All  profuse  apologies  have  some  mixture  of  a  lie  in 
them.  Few  people  who  plan  apologies  design  to  speak 
the  truth.  They  aim  to  gloss  over  the  facts,  but  the 
substance  is  false — the  motive  is  adroitly  hidden.  No 
one  who  is  fair  and  honest  in  conscience  and  aims  has 
the  apologetic  impulse. 

Men's  evil  manners  live  in  brass;  their  virtues  we 
write  in  water. — Shakespeare. 

Used  against  a  high  soul,  there  is  no  surer  method 
of  humiliation  than  an  apology.  In  one  skilled  at- read- 
ing human  nature  an  apology  becomes  a  weapon.  When 
you  are  not  the  one  who  should  apologize  first,  when 
you  are  less  to  blame  than  he,  be  you  the  one  to  apolo- 
gize first,  and  see  how  quickly  his  noble  nature  will 
abase  itself  and  rush  to  meet  you,  and  how  sure  and 
glorious  and  complete  the  reconciliation  will  be. — Lil- 
lian Bell. 

Many  men  get  rich  by  doing  the  work  which  the 
other  fellows  neglect. 

There  is  always  good  policy  in  keeping  one's  temper. 
A<=  often  as  temper  is  lost,  a  degree  of  influence  is  lost 
with  it ;  and  while  the  former  may  be  recovered,  it  will 
be  found  much  more  difficult  to  recover  the  latter.  The 
politician  who  allows  himself  to  get  angry  in  his  capa- 
city— whatever  may  be  the  provocation — does  his  cause 
injury  which  his  soundest  argument  will  hardly  repair. 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

Just  so  with  men  of  all  professions,  and  with  men  of 
no  profession.  If  they  would  be  able  to  exert  a  sway 
in  their  sphere,  they  must  learn  to  keep  cool.  Who 
ever  listened  to  a  discussion  in  which  one  party  went 
raving  mad,  while  the  other  maintained  his  composure, 
without  having  his  sympathies  enlisted  with  the  latter, 
even  though,  in  the  beginning,  his  prejudice  might  have 
been  in  favor  of  the  former?  It  is  commonly  taken 
for  granted,  and  with  a  good  share  of  reason,  that  he 
who  has  the  best  side  of  an  argument  will  exhibit  the 
most  coolness. 

Anger  is  an  affected  madness  compounded  of  pride 
and  folly,  and  an  intention  to  do  commonly  more  mis- 
chief than  it  can  bring  to  pass;  and,  without  doubt,  of 
all  passions  which  naturally  disturb  the  mind  of  man, 
it  is  most  in  our  power  to  extinguish,  at  least  to  sup- 
press and  correct,  our  anger. — Clarendon. 

You  cannot  learn  to  please  people  in  business  or 
society  by  any  merit  or  sound  knowledge  you  are  mas- 
ter of,  but  by  studying  people  and  serving  them  witli 
a  desire  to  please. 

Good  sense  will  give  you  the  general  outlines  of  busi- 
ness; observation,  usage,  contact,  and  experience  alone 
give  the  delicate  touches  and  bring  out  the  fine  points. 

Economy  no  more  means  saving  money  than  spend- 
ing money.  It  means  spending  and  saving,  whether 
time  or  money,  or  anything  else,  to  the  best  possible 
advantage. — Buskin. 

Be  merry  but  with  modesty;  be  sober  but  not  sul- 
len; be  valiant  but  not  venturous;  let  your  clothes  be 
comely  but  not  costly ;  your  diet  wholesome  but  not  ex- 
cessive; mistrust  no  man  without  cause,  neither  be 
credulous  without  proof.  Serve  God,  love  God,  fear 
God,  and  God  will  bless  you  as  either  your  heart  can 
wish  or  your  friends  desire. — Lyly. 

Whatever  you  are,  be  brave,  boys! 
The  liar's  a  coward  and  a  slave ; 

Though  clever  at  ruses, 

And  sharp  at  excuses. 
He's  a  sneaking  and  pitiful  knave,  boys! 

Whatever  you  are,  be  frank,  boys! 
'Tis  better  than  money  and  rank; 

Still  cleave  to  the  right. 

Be  lovers  of  lig-ht. 
Be  open,  aboveboard,  and  frank,  boys ! 

36 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

Whatever  you  are,  be  kind,  boys! 
Be  gentle  in  manner  and  mind; 

The  man  gentle  in  mien, 

Words,  and  temper,  I  ween. 
Is  the  gentleman  truly  refined,  boys! 

Nothing  in  your  possession  should  be  so  carefully 
watched  as  your  lips.  Do  and  say  all  you  can  to  cheer, 
but  never,  never,  never,  under  any  provocation,  allow 
yourself  to  strengthen  a  rumor  of  scandal.  If  there 
is  wrong  in  any  soul  it  will  produce  its  own  results, 
for  the  laws  of  the  universe  are  inexorable;  but  if  the 
wrong  is  not  there,  and  by  any  word  from  your  mouth 
you  give  the  impression  that  it  is  there,  you  judge  as 
you  would  not  like  to  be  judged,  and  you  would  think 
it  a  great  calamity  if  a  like  measure  were  meted  out 
to  you. 

It  is  not  vanity  for  a  man  to  pride  himself  on  what 
he  has  honestlv  got  and  prudently  uses. 

Civility  costs  nothing — so  we  have  been  duly  in- 
structed from  an  early  age — but,  the  civility  that  has 
cost  us  nothing  is  of  very  little  worth.  True  civility 
implies  some  degree,  however  small,  of  self-sacrifice, 
and  self-sacrifice  certainly  costs  us  something.  No 
doubt  there  is  such  a  thing  as  feeling  pleasure  in  self- 
sacrifice,  a  pleasure  keener  than  can  be  gained  by  self- 
seeking.  But  such  a  pleasure  is  itself  an  evidence  of 
goodness,  and  must  not  be  confounded  with  natural 
passion  or  instinct.  It  is  the  fruit  of  an  habitual  en- 
deavor to  act  kindly  by  those  with  whom  we  have  to 
do,  and  has  reached  maturity  after  many  struggles  and 
conflicts.  Thus,  whoever  takes  pleasure  in  civility  has 
generally  something  good  in  him ;  for  the  civility  we 
mean  is  not  a  mere  superficial  politeness ;  but  a  hearty 
wish  to  make  others  comfortable  even  at  our  own  ex- 
pense. 

The  love  and  admiration  which  Sydney  Smith  won 
from  every  one,  rich  or  poor,  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  seems  to  me  to  have  arisen  from  the  one  fact 
that,  without  perhaps  having  any  such  conscious  inten- 
tion, he  treated  rich  and  poor,  his  own  servants,  and 
the  noblemen,  his  guests,  alike,  and  alike  courteously, 
considerately,  cheerfully,  affectionately,  so  leaving  a 
blessing  and  reaping  a  blessing,  wheresoever  he  went. — 
Kingsley. 

Nature  has  given  to  men  one  tongue,  but  two  ears, 
that  we  may  hear  from  others  twice  as  much  as  we 
speak. — Ihid. 

37 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

Beware  of  little  expenses;  a  small  leak  will  sink  a 
great  ship. — Benj.  Franklin. 

Any  thoughtful  man  or  woman  knows  that  a  lax  dis- 
cipline in  the  home  which  permits  young  people  to 
seek  their  pleasures  in  the  streets,  in  company  unknown 
to  parents,  or  with  books  that  do  not  improve  the  mind, 
is  sure  to  breed  disorder  in  individuals  and  in  families. 
No  less  disastrous  is  the  domestic  tyranny  that  forces 
boys  and  girls,  whose  perfectly  natural  and  laudable 
craving  for  fun  ought  to  be  satisfied,  away  from  home 
to  find  in  public  places  diversion,  which  may  begin  by 
being  harmless  enough,  but  which,  unguarded  by  neces- 
sary restraints,  soon  passes  into  dangerous,  and  finally 
into  criminal,  associations.  Many  young  lives  of  bright- 
est promise  have  thus  been  lost  to  happiness  and  social 
usefulness  through  the  combined  influence  of  parental 
carelessness,  the  allurem.ents  of  the  street,  and  absence 
of  religious  training. 

Never  break  your  promises.  And  to  this  end  never 
make  a  promise  that  you  are  not  sure  that  you  can  ful- 
fill. You  may  think  it  a  trifling  matter  to  make  an  ap- 
pointment with  a  friend  or  agree  to  do  a  certain  thing 
and  then  fail  to  "come  to  time,"  but  it  is  assuredly  not 
a  small  affair.  If  you  get  into  the  habit  of  neglecting 
to  make  good  your  promises,  how  long  do  you  think 
will  your  friends  and  acquaintances  retain  confidence 
in  you  ?  The  nearest  and  dearest  of  them  will  in  time 
learn  to  doubt  you  and  will  put  but  little  faith  in  your 
words.  Keep  your  promises  to  the  letter,  be  prompt 
and  exact,  and  it  will  save  you  much  trouble  and  care 
through  life,  and  win  for  you  the  respect  and  trust  of 
your  friends. 

Youth  is  the  proper  season  for  cultivating  benevo- 
lent and  humane  affections.  As  a  great  portion  of  our 
happiness  depends  on  our  neighbors  and  acquaintances, 
it  is  of  importance  that  we  acquire  the  temper  and 
manners  which  will  render  such  agreeable.  A  sense  of 
justice  should  be  the  foundation  of  all  our  social  qual- 
ities; even  in  youthful  amusements,  let  no  unfairness 
be  found;  that  sacred  rule  of  "doing  in  all  things  to 
others,  according  as  we  wish  that  they  should  do  unto 
us,"  should  be  firmly  impressed  upon  every  juvenile 
mind;  for  this  purpose,  consider  the  original  and 
natural  equality  of  men ;  whatever  advantage  of  for- 
tune we  may  possess,  it  should  never  be  displayed  with 
an  ostentatious  superiority;  for  the  vicissitudes  of  life 
are  unknown.    How  often  have  they,  whom  supercilious 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

young  men  have  looked  upon  with  scorn,  risen  to  be 
their  superiors  in  after  years  ! 

Compassion  is  an  emotion,  of  which  the  young  ought" 
never  be  ashamed;  graceful  in  youth  is  the  tear  of 
sympathy,  and  the  heart  that  melts  at  a  tale  of  woe. 
Ease  and  indulgence  should  not  be  permitted  to  con- 
tract our  affections,  or  envelop  us  in  selfish  enjoyments. 

Ofttimes,  excusing  of  a  fault 

Doth  make  the  fault  the  worse  by  the  excuse; 

As  patches,  set  upon  a  little  breach. 

Discredit  more  in  hiding  of  the  fault, 

Then  did  the  fault  before  it  was  so  patched. 

— Shakespeare,  in  King  John. 
It  never  costs  very  much,  at  most  a  sacrifice  of  our 
tender  feelings,  to  keep  a  sweet  temper,  and  it  is  a 
wonderfully  well-paying  investment.  Try  it  some  day. 
As  soon  as  you  awake  in  the  morning  say.  "I'll  do  any- 
thing to-day  before  I  growl,"  and  though  you  may 
have  almost  given  away  more  than  once  to  the  tempta- 
tion, you  will  go  to  bed  with  a  new  and  fresh  apprecia- 
tion of  life,  wondering  "Why  cannot  life  always  run  as 
smoothly  as  it  did  to-day?" 

There  was  once  a  man  who  was  almost  pre-eminent 
in  this  respect.  He  never  complained,  never  went 
"wild,"  but  if  anything  that  looked  like  a  misfortune 
befell  him  he  would  bow  his  head  and  thank  God  that 
it  was  not  something  worse.  Passing  along  a  city 
street  one  day,  dressed  in  his  new  clothes,  a  full  can  of 
paint  fell  upon  him  from  a  painter's  scaffold.  It  ruined 
his  clothes,  almost  blinded  him,  and  hurt  him  quite  se- 
verely. Most  men  would  have  gone  off  at  a  tangent 
and  let  everybody  within  a  mile  radius  know  that  they 
had  been  foully  dealt  with.  Xot  so  with  this  even-tem- 
pered man.  He  merely  said,  "Thank  God  it  wasn't 
bricks.''  Try  to  be  even-tempered.  It  pays,  particularly 
in  adversity. 

Refinement  is  fastidiousness.  It  is  not  luxury.  It 
is  nothing  of  this  kind.  It  is  far  removed  from  excess 
or  waste.  A  person  who  is  truly  refined  will  not  squan- 
der or  needlessly  consume  anvthing.  Refinement,  on 
the  contrary,  is  always  allied  to  simplicity  and  a  judi- 
cious and  tasteful  employment  of  the  means  of  the  good 
and  happiness  which  it  has  at  command.  It  seeks  to 
divest  itself  of  superfluities,  and  aspires  continually  to 
the  utmost  possible  purity.  Refinement  leads  to  per- 
sonal cleanliness  and  elegant  neatness,  ^ood  taste  and 
simplicity  in  dress.  All  "loudness"  or  flashiness  is  re- 
pugnant to  its  spirit.     In  its  home  and  surroundings. 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune.' 

the  same  chasteness  and  natural  grace  are  maintained. 
The  abode  of  genuine  refinement,  and  a  mere  pretender 
to  it,  are  very  different.  In  the  former  you  will  find 
no  excess,  gaudiness,  or  false  glittering;  but  the  latter 
abounds  in  it.  In  personal  manners,  refinement  is  most 
conspicuous.  A  man  of  refinement  is  always  polite 
without  effeminacy,  and  considerate  without  stiffness. 
Display  and  ceremony  are  identical  without  refinement 
like  that  of  the  heart,  which  impels  its  possessor  to  show 
on  all  occasions  a  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others. 
No  adherence  to  etiquette  can  compare  with  it  for  the 
spontaneous  observance  of  true  and  gratifying  polite- 
ness. 

Deal  tenderly  with  the  absent ;  say  nothing  to  inflict 
a  wound  on  their  reputation.  They  may  be  wrong  and 
wicked,  yet  your  knowledge  of  it  does  not  oblige  you 
to  disclose  their  character,  except  to  save  others  from 
injury.  Then  do  it  in  a  way  that  bespeaks  a  spirit  of 
kindness  to  the  absent  offender.  Be  not  hasty  to  credit 
evil  reports.  They  are  often  the  result  of  misunder- 
standing or  of  evil  design,  or  they  proceed  from  an 
exaggerated  or  partial  disclosure  of  facts.  Wait  and 
learn  the  whole  history  before  you  decide;  then  believe 
just  what  evidence  compels  you  to,  and  no  more.  But 
even  then,  take  heed  not  to  indulge  the  least  unkindness, 
else  you  dissipate  all  the  spirit  of  your  prayer  for  them, 
and  unnerve  yourself  for  doing  them  good. 

Foolish  spending  is  the  father  of  poverty.  Do  not  be 
ashamed  of  hard  work.  Work  for  the  best  salaries  and 
wages  you  can  get,  but  work  for  half  price  rather  than 
be  idle.  Be  your  own  master,  and  do  not  let  society 
or  fashion  swallow  up  your  individuality — hat,  coat,  and 
boots.  Do  not  eat  up  or  wear  all  you  can  earn.  Com- 
pel your  selfish  body  to  spare  something  for  profit's 
sake.  Be  stingy  with  your  own  appetite,  but  merciful 
to  others'  necessities.  JEIelp  others  and  ask  no  help  for 
yourself.  Be  proud.  Let  your  pride  be  of  the  right 
kind.  Be  too  proud  to  wear  a  coat  you  cannot  afford 
to  buy;  too  proud  to  be  in  company  that  you  cannot 
keep  up  with  in  expenses;  too  proud  to  lie  or  steal  or 
cheat ;  too  proud  to  be  stingy ;  in  short,  be  a  man  of  in- 
tegrity and  individuality. — Weekly  Bouquet. 

Business  men,  in  business  hours,  attend  only  to  busi- 
ness matters.  Social  calls  are  best  adapted  to  the  so- 
cial circle.  Make  your  business  known  in  a  few  words, 
without  loss  of  time.  Let  your  dealings  with  a  stranger 
be  most  carefully  considered,  and  tried  friendship  duly 
appreciated.     A  mean  act  will  soon  recoil,  and  a  man 

40 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

of  honor  will  be  esteemed.  Leave  ^^tricks  of  trade"  to 
those  whose  education  was  never  completed.  Treat  all 
with  respect,  confide  in  few,  wrong  no  man.  Be  never 
afraid  to  say  no,  and  always  prompt  to  acknowledge  and 
rectify  a  wrong.  Leave  nothing  for  to-morrow  that 
should  be  done  to-day.  Because  a  friend  is  polite,  do 
not  think  his  time  is  valueless.  Have  a  place  for  every- 
thing, and  everything  in  its  place.  To  preserve  long 
friendship,  keep  a  short  credit;  the  way  to  get  credit 
is  to  be  punctual;  the  way  tc  preserve  it  is  not  to  use 
it  much.  Settle  often;  have  short  accounts.  Trust  no 
man^s  appearances;  they  are  often  deceptive,  and  as- 
sumed for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  credit.  Rogues  gen- 
erally dress  well.  The  rich  are  generally  plain  men. 
Be  well  satisfied  before  you  give  a  credit  that  those  to 
whom  you  give  it  are  safe  men  to  be  trusted. 

The  desire  to  get  something  for  nothing  makes  men 
pay  something  for  nothing. 

Thou  shalt  be  a  great  monarch  if  thou  canst  com- 
mand thy  tongue. — Ven.  Louis  of  Grenada. 

The  reward  of  one's  duty  is  the  power  to  fufill  an- 
other. 

By  gambling  we  lose  both  our  time  and  our  treasure, 
— two  things  most  precious  to  the  life  of  man. 

A  calm,  contented  life  is  worth  far  more  to  the  in- 
surance office,  as  the  tables  of  probabilities  go,  than  the 
life  of  one  who  drains  his  soul  away  by  anxiety.  "What 
is  the  use  of  fretting !  It  never  coined  a  penny  for  our 
poverty,  nor  prepared  a  slice  of  meat  for  our  hunger. 
It  is  a  killing  thing,  and  should  be  avoided  by  all  who 
love  life.  We  do  not  waste  strength  by  labor,  for  there 
is  a  recuperative  power  within  which  restores  us  after 
activity;  but  we  lose  life  by  anxiety,  and  lose  it  fast." 
A  peaceful  life  is  a  sermon  with  a  quiet  but  irresistible 
eloquence  in  it,  which  wins  men  to  a  desire  after  its  se- 
cret. 

Every  one  has  his  weak  point ;  every  one  has  his  faults. 
We  may  make  the  worst  of  these;  we  may  fix  our  atten- 
tion constantly  on  these.  It  is  a  very  easy  task,  and 
by  so  doing  we  shall  make  the  burden  "of  life  unendur- 
able, and  turn  friends  into  enemies,  and  provoke  strife, 
hatred,  heart-burnings,  wherever  we  go,  and  cut  off 
from  ourselves  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  happiness  and 
goodness  and  usefulness.  But  we  may  also  make  the 
best  of  one  another.  We  may  forgive  even  as  we  hope 
to  be  forgiven.  We  may  put  ourselves  in  the  place  of 
others,  and  ask  what  we  should  wish  to  be  done  to  ns 
and  thought  of  us  were  we  in  their  place.     By  fixing 

41 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

Gur  attention  on  their  good  qualities  we  shall  rise  to 
their  level  as  surely  as  by  fixing  our  attention  on  their 
bad  qualities  we  shall  sink  below  their  level.  By  loving 
whatever  is  lovable  in  those  around  us  love  will  flow 
back  from  them  to  us,  and  life  will  become  a  pleasure 
instead  of  a  pain,  and  earth  will  become  like  heaven; 
and  we,  if  God  so  please,  shall  become  not  unworthy 
followers  of  Him  whose  name  is  Love. — Stanley. 

What  makes  a  boy  popular?  Manliness.  The  boy 
who  respects  his  mother  has  leadership  in  him.  The 
boy  who  is  careful  of  his  sister  is  a  knight.  The  boy 
who  will  never  violate  his  word,  who  will  pledge  his 
honor  to  his  own  heart,  and  change  not,  will  have  the 
confidence  of  his  fellows.  The  boy  who  defends  the 
weak  will  one  day  become  a  hero  among  the  strong.  A 
boy  who  will  never  hurt  the  feelings  of  any  one  will  one 
day  find  himself  in  the  atmosphere  of  universal  sym- 
pathy. Shall  we  tell  you  how  to  become  a  popular  boy  ? 
We  will.  Be  too  manly  and  generous  and  unselfish  to 
seek  to  be  popular ;  be  the  soul  of  honor,  and  love  others 
better  than  yourself,  and  people  will  give  you  their 
hearts. 

Flat  contradiction,  severe  criticism,  fault-finding  and 
condemnation,  the  omission  of  gentle  and  pleasing  at- 
tentions, curt  manners,  blunt  speeches,  unkind  allu- 
sions, are  continually  excused  on  the  plea  of  sincerity. 
"I  said  what  I  thought/'  and  "I  never  pretend  to  what 
I  do  not  feel,''  are  common  assertions,  supposed  to  Jus- 
tify all  manner  of  rude  and  ill-natured  words  and 
actions.  Yet  one  who  unites  sincerity  with  kind  feel- 
ing is  never  heard  to  utter  such  language.  His  sym- 
pathies are  too  keen  to  allow  him  to  hurt  another  need- 
lessly, and  it  never  occurs  to  him  that  it  is  insincere  to 
offer  such  courteous  attentions  as  express  a  general  feel- 
ing of  good-will,  even  though  he  may  not  be  drawn  by 
any  bonds  of  affection. 

Give  not  thy  tongue  too  great  a  liberty,  lest  it  take 
thee  prisoner.  A  word  unspoken  is,  like  the  sword  in 
the  scabbard,  thine ;  if  vented,  thy  sword  is  in  another's 
hand.  If  thou  desire  to  be  held  wise,  be  so  wise  as  to 
hold  thy  tongue. — Quarles. 

Profane  swearing  seems  to  be  as  much  a  part  of 
every-day  life  as  the  use  of  language  itself.  The  ador- 
able name  of  Jesus  is  blasphemed.  Who  has  not  ob- 
served this  lack  of  reverence  for  the  name — above  all 
names — ^the  name  that  is  pronounced  with  ineffable 
solemnity  by  the  angels  of  heaven,  and  that  causes  the 
demons  of  hell  to  tremble?    Now  that  blasphemy  is  so 

42 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

general,  we  should  redouble  our  efforts  to  honor  and 
cause  to  be  honored,  as  much  as  we  can,  the  name  of  our 
blessed  Saviour.  We  shall  be  sure  to  find  in  it  strength 
and  consolation  at  the  hour  of  death,  if  we  honor  it 
during  life. 

A  statesman  of  national  reputation  said:  "You  ask 
for  a  word  of  wisdom  to  young  men.  Well,  my  one 
will  be  two.  (1)  Make  a  written  pledge  not  to  drink 
'fire-water'  until  you're  a  grandfather;  and  (2)  save 
something  regularly  every  Saturday  night,  if  it's  only 
a  penny.  Given  health  and  opportunities,  the  man  who 
is  temperate  and  frugal  is  bound  to  be  a  respectable 
member  of  society.  Whether  or  not  he  will  amass 
riches  is  a  question  partly  depending  on  whether  or 
not  the  money-making  talent  has  been  placed  in  his 
crib  by  his  fairy  godmother;  partly  depending  on  his 
wife.  But  the  main  thing  in  this  world  is  to  be  an  hon- 
orable citizen,  and  the  abstemious  and  thrifty  man  is 
most  apt  to  attain  that  measure  of  success. 

Charm  of  manner  is  made  up  usually  of  gracious  ob- 
servances of  small  courtesies.  Heredity  is  unrelenting, 
and  charm  is  a  great  birthright,  but  when  these  quali- 
ties are  lacking  attention,  effort  and,  above  all  things, 
desire  may  overcome  tremendous  barriers.  Though  so- 
ciety may  do  without  a  good  heart,  it  will  not  dispense 
with  that  appearance  of  it  which  we  call  amiability  of 
manner.  This  amiability  may  not  always  give  that  illu- 
sive something  known  as  charm,  but  charm  never  exists 
when  it  is  absent.  Simple  flattery  is  not  pleasing,  but 
the  actual  making  one  do  his  best,  and  not  alone  think- 
ing he  is  doing  it,  may  be.  Unselfishness  is  the  root 
and  spawn  of  all  graciousness.  One  of  the  greatest  se- 
crets of  charm  is  charitableness  and  scrupulousness  in 
imputing  motives  to  those  who  interfere  with  our  even 
way.  Wit  and  eloquence  fall  flat  when  unkindly  leveled 
at  the  weak  and  defenseless. 

Serving  riches,  instead  of  making  riches  serve  you, 
is  the  most  piteous  of  all  poverty.    It  is  slavery. 

On  personal  appearance  and  habits  much  of  our  suc- 
cess in  life  depends.  There  have  been  many  instances, 
where  the  soul,  shining  through  a  maimed  or  deformed 
body,  has  conquered  the  most  adverse  circumstances. 
This  is  far  easier  to  do  than  to  overcome  an  offensive 
or  disgraceful  trick  of  behavior ;  for  society  will  accord 
its  sympathy  to  natural  defects,  but  for  acquired  ones 
it  reserves  only  its  disgust. 

Every  reader  will  recall  to  mind  some  person  toward 
whom  he  or  she  has  felt  some  repugnance  almost  un- 

43 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 


endurable,  merely  from  an  offensive  habit  such  a  one 
has  formed — sometimes  a  mere  turn  of  the  lip,  a  cast 
of  the  eye,  or  a  peculiar  inflection  of  the  voice. 

Often  the  habit  has  been  formed  of  clearing  the 
throat,  or  spitting  profusely  about,  or  picking  the  ears, 
or  sorae  other  vulgar  habit.  These  things  will  create 
a  distaste  for  such  persons  in  a  fastidious  mind;  and 
deny  it  as  much  as  we  please,  or  call  it  squeamish  or 
silly,  we  are  all  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  fastidious. 

It  is  the  duty  of  every  person  to  make  himself  agree- 
able to  others.  Most  of  these  peculiarities  of  manner 
which  create  aversions  are  spontaneous  in  their  origin, 
but  becomes  so  habitual  that  they  are  unconscious  of 
them.  Many  of  them  were  formed  in  childhood,  when 
habits  are  more  easily  removed  than  in  after  years.  While 
we  cannot  like  everybody,  or  be  loved  by  everybody  in  re- 
turn, still  we  should  take  especial  care  that  we  do  not 
make  ourselves  personally  offensive  by  habits  and  ways 
that  shock  the  delicate  fastidiousness  of  those  around  us. 

We  must  never  undervalue  any  person.  The  work- 
man loves  not  to  have  his  work  despised  in  his  pres- 
ence. Now,  God  is  present  everywhere,  and  every  per- 
son is  His  work. 

Do  not  be  quick  to  speak ;  say  much  by  a  modest  and 
judicious  silence. 

"Think  twice  and  speak  once"  is  good  advice  which, 
alas,  is  but  too  seldom  followed. 

The  secret  of  pleasing  in  conversation  is  not  so  much 
in  talking  yourself,  as  in  inducing  others  to  talk.  The 
average  man  would  rather  hear  himself  talk  than  any- 
one else,  and  there  is  no  subject  on  which  he  can  wax 
more  eloquent  than  the  all-important  topic  of  number 
one  and  what  pertains  to  that  individual.  Therefore, 
I  say,  if  you  want  to  interest  a  man  and  gain  his  favor, 
make  him  talk  of  himself.  Confine  your  utterances  to 
enthusiastic  monosyllables  of  assent  or  dissent,  as  the 
case  may  require,  and  he  will  vote  you  a  brilliant  con- 
versationalist. 

On  the  other  hand,  nothing  disgusts  the  average  man 
more  than  to  hear  some  one  prating  about  his  own  abil- 
ities. "Pshaw !"  he  sa5^s,  "the  fellow  is  all  the  time 
talking  about  himself."  So  you  must  be  careful  to 
avoid  the  subject  of  your  own  perfections,  and  say  noth- 
ing about  yourself,  except  in  reply  to  a  direct  question. 

Do  not  be  quick  to  speak.  "Least  said,  soonest  mend- 
ed," says  the  proverb.  Weigh  your  words  well  before 
speaking  and  enunciate  them  clearly  and  distinctly,  but 

44 


Manners^  Thrift,  Fortune, 

in  a  natural  and  unaffected  manner,  avoiding  all  sug- 
gestion of  pomposity.  Finally  be  slow  to  speak  evil  of 
others  and  do  not  betray  secrets.  Tattle-tale  is  the  most 
scornful  word  in  a  child^s  vocabulary,  and  grown  peo- 
ple detest  a  gossip.  Then  again,  think,  think,  think, 
before  you  speak ! 

Manhood  begins  when  we  have  in  any  way  made 
truce  with  necessity;  but  begins  joyfully,  and  hopefully 
only  when  we  have  reconciled  ourselves  to  necessity. 

He  who  wishes  to  preserve  his  own  dignity  and  self- 
respect  must  be  careful  not  to  wound  needlessly  the 
self-respect  of  others. 

Learn  to  save  something  from  your  income,  be  it  ever 
so  small.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  invest  in  "good 
things;"  they  generally  prove  to  be  the  worst. 

Xever  put  your  money  in  a  business  until  you  have 
studied  it  up;  a  little  practical  knowledge  of  your  own 
is  better  than  trusting  all  to  the  other  fellow. 

The  man  who  invests  his  money  against  the  experi- 
ence of  his  partner  sometimes  in  the  end  finds  he  has 
made  a  bad  "swap."  Beware  of  loaning  money  to 
enable  others  to  start  business  or  speculate.  When  you 
are  rich,  you  may  take  a  risk  of  this  kind,  but  not  while 
you  are  struggling  for  yourself. 

If  you  are  a  youth  carefully  select  a  trade  or  profes- 
sion, and  then  master  it ;  if  you  fail  in  business  you  will 
always  have  something  to  fall  back  on. 

Be  truthful  and  honest.  Nothing  serves  so  well  in 
the  battle  of  life,  or  is  so  valuable  as  integrity  of  char- 
acter. It  is  better  than  gold,  always  current,  and  im- 
possible to  be  stolen. 

Never  brag  about  your  savings.  This  will  save  you 
the  disagreeable  experience  of  refusing  to  lend  them  to 
a  friend. 

Before  associating  yourself  with  any  person  in  busi- 
ness, inquire  into  his  personal  character,  his  habits  and 
general  fitness  for  the  proposed  enterprise. 

Recollect  that  the  savings  of  a  lifetime  are  often 
swept  away  in  a  day  by  foolishly  acting  on  the  impulse, 
or  being  influenced  by  the  glib  tongue  of  a  schemer. 
Always  investigate,  even  if  you  pay  for  the  information ; 
the  money  thus  expended  frequently  insures  you  against 
great  loss,  and  cannot  possibly  lessen  your  chances  for 
gain. 

45 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

The  Best  Way  to  Get  Rich, 

Are  the  experiences  and  methods  of  the  man  who  be- 
gan building  his  present  fortune  fifty  years  ago  likely 
to  be  regarded  by  the  city  youth  of  to-day  as  of  any 
practical  benefit  ? 

"In  their  details  and  as  affecting  young  men  at  large 
— no,"  says  the  veteran  William  J.  Onahan,  who  has 
been  an  observer  of  men  and  things  for  two  generations. 
"The  sane,  sober,  careful  methods  of  fifty  years  ago  are 
as  applicable  to-day  to  the  founding  of  fortunes  as  ever 
they  were  in  history.  But  they  read  too  tamely  for  the 
young  men  of  this  strenuous  age.  The  spirit  of  specu- 
lation has  gone  too  far.  The  excitement  of  gaming, 
from  the  penny-tossing  by  the  newsboys  to  the  'margin- 
ing^  in  the  bucket  shops,  has  led  the  young  men  of  to- 
day to  look  upon  the  methods  of  founding  fortunes 
fifty  years  ago  just  as  they  would  look  upon  the  methods 
used  at  that  time  in  sending  merchandise  from  New 
\ork  to  San  Francisco. 

"You  can't  reach  the  masses  of  the  young  men  of 
Chicago,  for  instance,  by  saying  to  them  that  the  only 
way  to  build  a  safe,  desirable  and  lasting  fortune  is  by 
slow  accretion,  and  that  this  accretion  should  begin  with 
the  first  salary  that  they  draw.  Tell  a  young  man  who 
may  be  taking  up  business  life  that  even  on  a  salary  of 
$10  a  week  he  should  be  laying  some  of  it  aside,  and 
the  chances  are  that  he  will  laugh  at  you.  Why? 
Simply  because  the  temptation  to  spend  never  was  so 
great  as  it  is  now.  Yet  this  habit  of  saving  is  easier 
to  acquire  on  $10  a  week  than  it  will  be  afterward  at 
$25  a  week,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  it  is  the  one 
dominant  trait  that  must  be  at  the  foundation  of  for- 
tune building. 

"In  the  nervous  energy  of  the  present  there  is  a  gen- 
eral disposition  abroad  to  shelve  almost  any  philosophy 
of  materialism  fifty  years  old  as  being  out  of  date.  It 
has  been  so  easy  to  say,  ^Yes,  you  could  do  so  and  so 
once,  but  you  can't  do  it  now.' 

"But  a  truth  is  a  truth,  and  that  permanent  fortune 
must  be  the  product  of  sound,  conservative  building  is 
truer  to-day,  almost,  than  it  ever  was  before.  Most  of 
the  wealthy  men  of  to-day  began  fortune  building  from 
the  ground  up.  They  began  when  habits  of  thrift  and 
frugality  were  far  more  general  in  both  old  and  young 
than  they  are  now,  and,  while  they  worked  longer  hours 
for  less  pay,  they  saved  more  money. 

46 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

"I  have  looked  to  the  Civil  War,  always,  as  being  the 
line  of  demarcation  between  the  young  man  of  yesterday 
and  the  young  man  of  to-day.  I  don't  know  but  what 
war  is  productive  of  the  spirit  of  extravagance.  It 
represents  waste  and  ruin.  It  creates  a  feeling  of  un- 
stableness.  Certainly  the  great  Civil  War  in  this 
country  changed  the  traits  and  characteristics  of  the 
people.  Excitement  took  the  place  of  repose.  Specula- 
tion supplanted  steady  trade,  and  this  has  led  to  the 
spirit  of  gambling,  which  in  one  or  another  form  has 
become  dangerously  widespread. 

"Too  many  young  men  to-day  have  become  infected 
with  this  passion.  There  is  a  haste  to  grow  rich.  Con- 
servative methods  in  business  are  too  slow.  The  hope 
of  gaining  fortune  without  labor  has  become  widely 
alluring. 

"This  is  a  fatal  delusion.  Even  where  wealth  is  thus 
gained,  it  is  more  often  a  curse  than  a  blessing.  The 
fortune  quickly  gained  and  without  labor  generally  is 
as  speedily  dissipated.  Yet  just  to  the  extent  that  we 
see  flattering  opportunities  held  out  to  young  men  for 
the  making  of  fortunes  by  some  short-cut,  just  to  that 
extent  one  may  guess  that  these  propositions  are  ac- 
cepted. 

"No  doubt  there  is  now  more  restless  energy  displayed 
by  young  men  in  all  pursuits  than  formerly,  but  there 
were  more  steadiness,  greater  perseverance,  and,  as  a 
consequence,  more  lasting  results  fifty  years  ago.  Then 
habits  of  life  were  simpler,  temptations  were  less  com- 
mon, and  extravagance  of  living  comparatively  un- 
known. Now  it  requires  great  strength  of  character  in 
the  young  man  to  stand  out  against  the  temptations  of 
environment.  No  doubt  there  is  a  certain  fascination 
in  these  modern  activities — in  the  whirl  and  excitement 
of  latter  day  trading  and  speculation.  Amusements, 
too,  are  more  common  and  costly,  and  dissipations  are 
more  alluring. 

"That  there  are  $2,500,000,000  in  the  savings  banks 
of  the  United  States  and  that  the  totals  are  increasing 
every  year  shows  promise.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  not 
sure  that  it  would  not  be  shown  by  analysis  that  adopted 
citizens  from  continental  Europe  lead  as  these  depos- 
itors. At  one  time  ^Yankee  thrift'  was  proverbial.  To 
some  extent  it  may  be  true  of  the  direct  descendants  of 
that  old  stock,  but  it  has  lost  its  significance  when  ap- 
plied to  the  typical  American. 

"In  these  observations  it  should  not  be  lost  to  mind 
that  in  general  a  vice  is  more  apparent  than  a  virtue. 

47 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

And  on  the  surface  we  often  see  traits  to  be  deplored — 
lack  of  reverence  and  respect  for  parents  and  parental 
authority,  loss  of  the  deference  due  to  age,  and  a  falling 
off  in  the  chivalrous  respect  due  to  women. 

"But  as  for  opportunity  for  young  men  to-day,  it  is 
greater  than  it  ever  was  before,  only  vp  is  not  to  be 
sought  in  the  bucket  shops  or  on  the  race  course. 
Steadiness,  sobriety,  and  perseverance  will  assuredly 
bring  their  reward  to  the  young  men  of  to-day  as  in  the 
past,  and  more  swiftly.  The  enormous  activities  of 
the  present  age;  the  universal  expansion  of  American 
trade  which  now  as  never  before,  pushes  its  giant  rami- 
fications all  over  the  country,  point  to  the  gates  of 
boundless  possibilities  to  the  energy  and  capacity  of 
American  enterprise.  And  the  young  men  of  to-day 
hold  the  keys." — W.  J.  Onahan. 

Gold  is  one  of  the  best  and  one  of  the  worst,  one  of 
the  most  divine,  and  one  of  the  most  diabolic  things  in 
the  world. 

Gold  is  one  of  the  bitterest  possessions  when  we  are 
sordidly  attached  to  it;  one  of  the  sweetest  when  we  give 
it  through  generosity  and  love  for  God. 

You  should  tremble  whenever  you  look  upon  a  gold 
piece.  You  should  tremble  particularly  to  possess  it, 
for  you  have  before  you  good  or  evil,  an  angel  or  a 
devil. 

According  as  you  hoard  it  without  necessity  or  give 
it  to  the  poor,  you  bring  from  your  purse  hell  or  heaven. 
— Fr.  Lacordaire. 

A  grain  of  prudence  is  worth  a  pound  of  craft. 

Give  me  the  man  who  has  been  tried  in  the  crucible, 
who  has  been  purified  by  the  fire  of  misfortune,  and 
comes  forth  purged  from  vanity  and  its  train  of  de- 
mands. 

Three  things  to  avoid — idleness,  loquacity  and  flip- 
pant jesting. 

Thousands  of  well-meaning  young  men  have  been 
failures  largely  from  gruff,  coarse,  rude  manners.  A 
courteous  disposition  counts  in  the  world  to-day.  Take 
two  persons,  possessing  equal  advantages  in  every  other 
respect,  but  let  one  be  kind,  obliging,  and  conciliating, 
the  other  disobliging,  rude,  harsh  and  insolent,  and  the 
one  will  become  rich  while  the  other  will  starve.  Those 
who  throw  their  good  deeds  should  not  always  expect 
them  to  be  caught  with  a  thankful  smile.  But  "there  is 
no  policy  like  politeness,"  and  courtesy  is  profitable  ad- 
vertising. 

48 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

Manners  are  not  a  garment  to  be  taken  off;  they  are 
the  flesh  and  blood  of  life  itself.  They  are  a  person's 
habitual  ways  of  doing  everything;  they  show  in  the 
smallest  details  and  in  the  largest  matters  alike.  They 
are  so  intimately  and  so  essentially  part  of  us  that  they 
express  us  better  than  we  know.  The  most  fugitive 
deed  and  word,  the  mere  air  of  doing  a  thing,  the  in- 
timated purpose,  expresses  character.  The  world  is  full 
of  judgment  days,  and  into  every  assembly  that  a  man 
enters,  in  every  action  he  attempts,  he  is  gauged  and 
stamped.  Our  manners  are  the  measures  of  our  real 
selves. 

A  person  with  truly  good  manners,  then,  to  begin 
with,  must  be  a  good  person,  kind  and  gentle.  Mere 
polish  does  not  make  manners,  though  many  foolish 
minds  appear  to  think  so;  for  selfishness  and  even  evil 
can  be  veneered  and  polished  into  a  very  fair  imitation 
of  the  real  thing,  though  it  can  never  be  more  than  an 
imitation.  Real  manners  stand  the  test  of  any  search- 
ing occasion;  for  they  go  as  deep  as  character  itself. 

The  manners  that  keep  their  gentle  courtesy  through 
defeat  or  ill  luck,  that  claim  no  advantage  over  an  ad- 
versary, that  do  not  unduly  exult  in  victory,  are  a  tes- 
timonial to  their  possessor's  thorough  good  breeding 
that  exceeds  any  framed  pedigree  or  crested  note  paper. 

Good  manners  are  a  part  of  good  morals,  and  it  is 
as  much  a  man's  duty  as  a  man's  interest  to  practice 
both. 

In  the  noise  and  tumult  of  the  world  where  every  life 
is  invaded  and  encroached  upon  by  "the  pride  of  man'' 
and  "the  strife  of  tongues,"  w^e  wrap  around  us  the  robe 
of  God's  eternal  mercy  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  look  out 
undaunted  upon  the  dangers  that  cannot  harm  us  there. 
— Phillips  Brooks. 

The  mischief  of  flattery  is  not  that  it  persuades  any 
man  that  he  is  what  he  is  not,  but  that  it  suppresses  the 
influence  of  honest  ambition  by  raising  an  opinion  that 
honor  may  be  gained  without  the  merit  of  toil. — John- 

S071. 

Who  misses  or  who  wins  the  prize? 

Go,  lose  or  conquer  as  you  can; 
But  if  you  fail,  or  if  you  rise. 
Be  each,  pray  God,  a  gentleman. 

— Anon. 
A  man's   own   good   breeding   is   the  best   security 
against  other  people's  ill  manners. — Chesterfield. 

The  manner  of  saying  or  doing  anything  goes  a  great 
way  towards  the  value  of  the  thing  itself. — Seneca. 

49 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

I  believe  more  follies  are  committed  out  of  complai- 
sance to  the  world  than  in  following  our  own  inclina- 
tions.— Lady  Mary  Montagu. 

Good  manners  are  made  up  of  petty  sacrifices. — 
Emerson. 

Frugality  may  be  termed  the  daughter  of  prudence, 
the  sister  of  temperance,  and  the  parent  of  liberty. — 
Johnson. 

He  that  is  extravagant  will  quickly  become  poor,  and 
poverty  will  enforce  dependence  and  invite  corruption. 
— Johnson. 

To  catch  Dame  Fortune^s  golden  smile. 

Assiduously  wait  upon  her; 
And  gather  gear  by  every  wile 

That^s  justified  by  honor ; 
Not  for  to  hide  it  in  a  hedge. 

Not  for  a  trained  attendant; 
But  for  the  glorious  privilege 
Of  being  independent. 

— Burns. 

Eiches  is  a  comparative  term ;  but  every  person  is  rich 
who  has  more  income  than  outgo.  When  this  degree  of 
riches  is  reached  a  man  can  act  deliberately,  he  is  more 
independent,  and  if  his  tastes  and  ambition  call  for 
greater  wealth,  the  way  to  affluence  is  much  easier. 

Recollect  that  one  of  the  greatest  helps  to  prosperity 
and  riches  is  health.  It  is  so  priceless  that  the  wealthiest 
person  in  the  world  would  give  his  whole  fortune  to 
possess  it  if  it  were  necessary.  Therefore,  always  guard 
your  health.  Health  makes  us  enjoy  a  crust  of  bread 
with  2  cup  of  water,  while  the  most  sumptuous  banquet 
has  no  charms  for  the  sick ;  next  to  honor,  health  is  the 
dearest  possession  to  man  or  woman. 

Be  prudent,  but  do  not  be  mean.  The  poorest  person 
has  the  power  of  doing  some  good  to  a  fellow-sufferer. 
If  ever  so  little,  give  to  the  worthy  needy  according  to 
your  circumstances.  It  will  make  you  feel  better,  and 
always  gives  pleasure  when  remembered.  Besides,  many 
a  poor  person  has  become  fortunate,  and  the  friends  of 
adversity  should  win  the  gratitude  of  all  true  hearts. 

Benjamin  Franklin  said:  "The  way  to  wealth  is  as 
plain  as  the  way  to  market.  It  depends  chiefly  on  two 
words:  industry  and  frugality;  that  is,  waste  not  time 
nor  money,  but  make  the  best  use  of  both.  Without 
industry  and  frugality  nothing  will  do,  and  with  them 
everything.'^ 

He  who  plays  with  dollars  in  his  youth  will  probably 
have  to  beg  for  farthings  in  his  age. — Howe. 

50 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune, 

Thousands  of  people  might  be  enjoying  reasonable 
lives,  with  opportunities  for  self-culture,  for  social  en- 
joyment, and  for  charitable  effort,  whose  whole  energy 
is  absorbed  in  the  desperate  struggle  to  add  superfluities 
to  comforts.    .    .    . 

The  bad  fortune  of  the  good  turns  their  faces  up  to 
heaven,  and  the  good  fortune  of  the  bad  bows  their 
heads  down  to  earth. — Saadi. 

He  is  poor  whose  expenses  exceed  his  income. — De  La 
Bruyere. 

I  take  him  to  be  the  only  rich  man  that  lives  upon 
what  he  has,  owes  nothing,  and  is  contented. — Howe. 

One  of  the  great  battles  that  we  have  to  fight  in  this 
world — for  twenty  great  battles  have  to  be  fought,  all 
at  once  and  in  one — is  the  battle  with  appearances. — 
George  Macdonald. 

The  fear  of  what  people  will  think  is  an  enemy  to 
all  manliness,  independence  and  sincerity. 

People  seldom  improve  when  they  have  no  model  but 
themselves  to  copy  after. — Goldsmith. 

He  who  is  most  slow  in  making  a  promise,  is  the  most 
faithful  in  the  performance  of  it. — Rousseau. 

Incivility  is  not  a  vice  of  the  soul,  but  the  effect  of 
several  vices — of  vanity,  ignorance  of  duty,  laziness, 
stupidity,  distraction,  contempt  of  others,  and  jealousy. 
— De  La  Bruyere. 

The  best  traits  of  character  in  a  beginner  that  prom- 
ise success  are:  first,  integrity;  second,  earnestness; 
third,  application  to  detail.— /Samwe?  Smiles. 

The  mind  should  be  fixed  upon  the  highest  position ; 
and  the  constant  struggle  to  attain  it,  is  the  strongest 
incentive  to  win  success. — Col.  M.  J.  O'Brien. 

Always  be  steadfast  and  loyal  in  promoting  the  inter- 
ests of  your  employers,  and  let  integrity  be  your  guid- 
ing star. — Ihid. 

Pay  every  debt  as  soon  as  it  is  due. — Col.  Albert  A. 
Pope. 

It  is  one  thing  to  be  economical,  and  quite  another  to 
be  stingy  and  mean. — Ihid. 

I  cannot  too  strongly  impress  upon  young  men  the 
absolute  indispensability  of  politeness. — George  G.  Will- 
iams. 

Experience  is  the  name  men  give  to  their  follies  or 
their  sorrows. 

A  reputation  will  always  work  for  you  or  against  you. 

We  do  not  need  the  half  of  what  we  demand  in  order 
to  make  life  comfortable.  A  slender  income  with  a 
warm  heart  is  better  than  riches  and  a  restless  soul. 

51 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

The  man  who  makes  the  most  of  the  little  that  he  has 
is  of  more  intrinsic  worth  than  he  who  owns  worlds,  but 
is  unhappy  because  he  has  not  more. 

There  is  hardly  a  day  passes  but  that  brings  to  one's 
attention  the  absolute  necessity  of  taking  care  of  the 
future  with  a  policy  of  life  insurance,  either  an  endow^ 
ment  'policy,  if  one  can  afford  it,  or  what  is  called 
straight  life,  or  industrial  insurance.  There  is  no  man, 
whatever  his  condition  may  be,  who  should  not  carry  a 
policy  for  some  amount,  if  even  for  no  other  purpose 
than  that  of  taking  care  of  his  own  funeral  expenses 
and  clearing  up  such  bills  which  will  inevitably  accumu- 
late. 

There  is  no  profession  so  forbidding,  no  work  so 
crabbed,  that  a  man  who  strives  to  exact  the  utmost 
happiness  from  it  may  not  twine  about  it  roses  of  fancy 
and  hide  the  most  of  its  thorns. 

I  wish  to  preach,  not  the  doctrine  of  ignoble  ease, 
but  the  doctrine  of  the  strenuous  life;  the  life  of  toil 
and  effort,  of  labor  and  strife;  to  preach  that  highest 
form  of  success  which  comes,  not  to  the  man  who  de- 
sires mere  easy  peace,  but  to  the  man  who  does  not 
shirk  from  hardship,  or  from  bitter  toil,  and  who,  out 
of  these,  wins  the  splendid,  ultimate  triumph. — Theo- 
dore Roosevelt. 

Money  is  a  good  thing.  It  is  a  foolish  affectation  to 
deny  it.  But  it  is  not  the  only  good  thing,  and  after  a 
certain  amount  has  been  amassed  it  ceases  to  be  the 
chief  even  of  material  good  things.  It  is  far  better,  for 
instance,  to  do  well  a  bit  of  work  which  is  well  worth 
doing. — Ihid. 

Truth,  justice,  and  reason  lose  all  their  force,  and  all 
their  luster,  when  they  are  not  accompanied  with  agree- 
able manners. — Thomson. 

Bad  manners  are  a  species  of  bad  morals.  A  conscien- 
cious  man  will  not  grossly  offend  in  that  way.—Bovel. 

The  manner  of  a  vulgar  man  has  freedom  without 
ease,  and  the  manner  of  a  gentleman  has  ease  without 
freedom. — Chesterfield. 

To  be  always  thinking  about  your  manners  is  not  the 
way  to  make  'them  good ;  because  the  very  perfection  of 
manners  is  not  to  think  about  jomseU.—Whately. 

There  is  a  deportment  which  suits  the  figure  and  tal- 
ents of  each  person ;  it  is  always  lost  when  we  quit  it  to 
assume  that  of  another. — Rousseau, 

In  society,  good  temper  and  animal  spirits  are  nearly 
everything.    They  are  of  more  importance  than  sallies  ot 

53 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

wit  or  refinements  of  understanding.  They  give  a  gen- 
eral tone  of  cheerfulness  and  satisfaction  to  the  company. 
The  French  have  the  advantage  over  us  in  external  man- 
ners. They  breathe  a  lighter  air  and  have  a  brisker  cir- 
culation of  the  blood. — Hazlitt. 

Parents  are  commonly  more  careful  to  bestow  wit  on 
their  children  than  virtue,  the  art  of  speaking  well  than 
doing  well ;  but  their  manners  ought  to  be  the  great  con- 
cern.— Fuller. 

What  a  rare  gift,  by  the  by,  is  that  of  manners !  How 
difficult  to  define,  how  much  more  difficult  to  impart ! 
Better  for  a  man  to  possess  them  than  wealth,  beauty,  or 
talent;  they  will  more  than  supply  all. — Bulwer  Lytton. 

A  well-bred  man  is  always  sociable  and  complaisant. — 
Montaigne. 

Fine  manners  are  the  mantle  of  fair  minds. — Alcott. 

Manners  are  ornaments  of  action. — Samuel  Smiles. 

Civility  costs  nothing  and  buys  everything. — Mary 
Worthy  Montagu. 

As  a  man's  salutation,  so  is  the  total  of  his  character ; 
in  nothing  do  we  lay  ourselves  so  open  as  in  our  manner 
of  meeting  and  salutation. — Lavater. 

Nothing  except  what  flows  from  the  heart  can  render 
even  external  manners  truly  pleasing. — Blair. 

When  we  listen  to  folks  retailing  faults  that  have  no 
need  of  publicity,  our  curiosity  is  aroused  to  this  effect — 
is  the  narrator  without  sin  ? 

To  live  content  with  small  means;  to  seek  elegance 
rather  than  luxury,  and  refinement  rather  than  fashion ; 
to  be  worthy,  not  respectable,  wealthy  not  rich ;  to  study 
hard,  think  quietly,  talk  gently,  act  frankly ;  to  listen  to 
stars  and  birds,  to  babes  and  sages,  with  open  heart;  to 
bear  all  cheerfully;  do  all  bravely,  await  occasions,  hurry 
never;  in  a  word,  to  let  the  spiritual,  unbidden  and  un- 
conscious, grow  up  through  the  common — this  is  my 
symphony. — Channing. 

False  sayings,  such  as.  It  is  impossible  to  be  honest  and 
to  make  a  living,  commend  themselves  only  to  the  weak 
and  incompetent. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

"The  fact  is,"  said  the  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
when  the  co-partnership  papers  were  signed,  "you  have 
been  one  of  us  from  the  day  you  came  to  us  an  office  boy. 
You  have  shown  the  same  enthusiasm  for  our  service 
that  a  soldier  displays  in  fighting  for  his  flag." 

We  earnestly  entreat  every  young  man,  after  he  has 
chosen  a  vocation  to  stick  to  it.  Don't  leave  it  because 
hard  blows  are  to  be  struck  or  disagreeable  work  per- 
formed. 

63 


Manners,  Thrift,  Fortune. 

Those  who  have  worked  their  way  up  to  wealth  and  in- 
fluence do  not  belong  to  the  shiftless  and  unstable  class, 
but  may  be  reckoned  among  such  as  pulled  off  their 
coats,  rolled  up  their  sleeves,  conquered  their  prejudices 
against  labor,  and  manfully  bore  the  heat  and  burden  of 
the  day. 

Whether  upon  the  old  farm,  where  our  fathers  toiled 
diligently,  striving  to  bring  the  soil  to  productiveness,  in 
the  machine  shop  or  in  the  factory,  or  the  thousand  other 
business  places  that  invite  honest  toil  and  skill,  let  the 
motto  ever  be,  Perseverance  and  Industry.  Stick  to  one 
thing,  boys,  and  you  will  have  success. 

God  gives  all  things  to  industry. 

A  good  occupation  prevents  mental  dissipation. 

Atmosphere  is  everything  to  a  small  artist ;  some  men 
would  paint  perfectly  in  heaven.  The  real  artist,  how- 
ever, can  work  in  a  factory. 

No  one  will  ever  govern  well  who  has  not  become  a 
thorough  master  in  the  art  of  obeying  well. — Ignatius 
Loyala. 

No  man  is  above  politeness  and  no  man  below  it. 
Louis  the  XIV,  a  proud  and  autocratic  monarch,  always 
raised  his  hat  to  the  poorest  peasant  woman;  and  a 
greater  man  than  he,  George  Washington,  wrote  the  first 
American  book  of  etiquette. 

The  president  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 
gives  these  maxims,  which  he  has  tested  through  years  of 
business  experience  and  which  he  recommends  as  tend- 
ing to  insure  success : 

Have  a  definite  aim.  Go  straight  for  it.  Master  all 
details.  Always  know  more  than  your  are  expected  to 
know.  Remember  that  difficulties  are  only  made  to  be 
overcome.  Treat  failures  as  stepping-stones  to  further 
effort.  Listen  well,  answer  cautiously,  decide  promptly. 
Preserve  by  all  means  in  your  power  "a  sound  mind  in 
a  sound  bodv." 


54 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

Opportunity,  Duty.  Tr\ith. 

He  who  can  at  all  times  sacrifice  pleasure  to  duty  ap- 
proaches sublimity. 
Once  to  every  man  and  nation  comes  the    moment    to 

decide, 
In  the  strife  of  truth  with  falsehood,  for  the  good  or  evil 
side.— Lowell. 
If  you  have  but  an  hour,  will  you  improve  that  hour 
instead  of  idling  it  away  ? — Chesterfield. 

The  greatest  friend  of  truth  is  time,  her  greatest 
enemy  is  prejudice,  and  her  constant  companion  is  hu- 
mility.— Colton. 

I  slept,  and  dreamed  that  life  is  beauty : 
I  awoke  and  saw  that  it  is  duty. 

There  is  no  remedy  for  time  misspent ; 
No  healing  for  the  waste  of  idleness, 
Whose  very  languor  is  a  punishment 

Heavier  than  active  souls  can  feel  or  guess. 
0  hours  of  indolence  and  discontent. 

Not  now  to  be  redeemed !  3''e  sting  not  less 
Because  I  know  this  span  of  life  was  lent 

For  lofty  duties,  nor  for  selfishness. 
Not  to  be  whiled  away  in  aimless  dreams, 

But  to  improve  ourselves,  and  serve  mankind, 
Life  and  its  choicest  faculties  were  given — 
Man  should  be  ever  better  than  he  seems ; 
And  shape  his  acts,  and  discipline  his  mind. 
To  walk  adoring  earth,  with  hope  of  heaven. 

— Aubrey  de  Vere. 
While  yet  thy  days  are  long. 
And  this  fair  change  of  seasons  passes  slow. 
Gather  and  treasure  up  the  good  they  yield. 

— Bryant. 
My  friend,  you  make  very  free  with  your  days;  pray, 
how  many  do  you  except  to  have  ? — De  Quincey. 

55 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

A  man  that  is  young  in  years  may  be  old  in  hours,  if 
he  have  lost  no  time. — Bacon. 

Look  not  mournfully  into  the  Past ;  it  comes  not  back 
again.  Wisely  improve  the  Present :  it  is  thine. — Long- 
fellow. 

Hold  fast  by  the  Present !  Every  situation — nay,  every 
moment — is  of  infinite  value,  for  it  is  the  representative 
of  a  whole  eternity. 

Do  the  duty  which  lies  nearest  to  you.  Every  duty 
which  is  bidden  to  wait,  returns  with  seven  fresh  duties 
at  its  back. — C  Kingsley. 

Full  many  a  day  for  ever  is  lost 

By  delaying  its  work  till  to-morrow ; 
The  minutes  of  sloth  have  often  cost 
Long  years  of  bootless  sorrow. 

— Eliza  Cook. 

Time  wasted,  is  existence;  used,  is  life. — Young. 

You  may  delay,  but  time  will  not. 

A  man  is  not  always  irresponsible  for  his  opinions; 
for  he  may  hold  erroneous  opinions  because  he  has  not 
desired  or  sought  diligently  for  the  truth,  which,  with 
a  proper  exercise  of  his  faculties,  he  might  have  found. 

— Dr.  Brownson. 

He  that  doeth  the  truth  cometh  to  the  light. — John  Hi, 
21. 

Kemember  that  to-day  shall  never  dawn  again. 

Time  breathes  his  mists  on  the  vast  ocean  of  ages,  and 
rolls  along  the  surface,  the  dark,  impenetrable  fog  of 
forgetfulncss. — P.  J.  0.  Chauveau. 

Enthusiasm  begets  enthusiasm,  eloquence  produces 
conviction  for  the  moment,  but  it  is  only  by  truth  to 
nature  and  the  everlasting  institutions  of  mankind  that 
those  abiding  influences  are  won  that  enlarge  from  gen- 
eration to  generation. — Lowell. 

He  who  is  false  to  present  duty  breaks  a  thread  in  the 
loom,  and  will  see  the  defect  when  the  weaving  of  a  life- 
time is  unrolled. 

What  about  the  twenty,  and  thirty,  and  fifty,  and  a 
hundred  thousand  years  of  eternity  ?  The  moment  that 
is  flying  holds  more  eternity  than  all  our  past,  and  the 
future  holds  none  at  all. — Father  Faher. 

By  whomsoever  Truth  is  spoken,  it  is  spoken  by  the 
aid  of  Him  who  is  Truth  itself. — St.  Augustine. 

Time  takes  heavy  toll  as  we  pass,  one  after  one,  the 
Janus-gated  years,  but  he  goes  bravely  on  who  bears  with 
him  the  perfume  of  the  morning,  and  the  lavish  heart 
of  youth. — Benjamin  F.  Taylor. 

56 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth, 

The  most  valuable  thing  on  this  earth  is  time ;  since  it 
is  the  price  of  eternity,  inasmuch  as  with  time — with 
only  one  instant  of  ti^e — we  can  purchase  an  eternal 
joy !  How  careful,  then,  should  we  be  of  so  precious  a 
possession,  and  how  solicitous  to  spend  every  moment  of 
it  in  the  most  perfect  manner,  and  with  the  greatest 
profit  possible. — Fr.  Duffy,  S.  J. 

Future  or  Past  no  richer  secret  folds, 

0  friendless  Present !  than  thy  bosom  holds. 

— Emerson. 

The  True  Past  departs  not ;  nothing  that  was  worthy 
in  the  past  departs — no  truth  or  goodness  realized  by 
man  ever  dies,  or  can  die. — Carlyle. 

The  mere  lapse  of  years  is  not  life.  Knowledge,  truth, 
love,  beauty,  goodness,  faith,  alone  can  give  vitality  to 
the  mechanism  of  existence.— Jo^mes  Mmrtineau. 

We  are  apt  to  believe  what  is  pleasant  rather  than 
what  is  true. — Addison. 

So  nigh  is  grandeur  to  our  dust, 

So  near  is  God  to  man^ 
When  Duty  whispers  low,  "Thou  must,'' 
The  youth  replies,  "I  can." — Emerson. 
The  one  secret  of  life  and  development  is  not  to  desire 
and  plan,  but  to  fall  in  with  the  forces  at  work,  to  do 
every  moment's  duty  Mighi.^George  Macdonald. 
Truth,  crushed  to  earth,  shall  rise  again ; 
The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers. 
But  Error,  wounded,  writhes  in  pain. 
And  dies  among  his  worshipers. 

Seize  the  Truth  where'er  it's  found 
On  Christian  or  on  heathen  ground. 
The  Truth's  divine  where'er  it  grows. 
Leave  thou  the  thorns  but  pluck  the  rose. 

Every  duty  we  omit  obscures  some  truth  we  should 
have  known. — Ruskin. 

How  mankind  defers  from  day  to  day  the  best  it  can 
do,  and  the  most  beautiful  things  it  can  enjoy,  without 
thinking  that  every  day  may  be  the  last  one,  and  that 
lost  time  is  lost  eternity. — Max  Muller. 

We  should  count  time  by  heart  throbs.  He  most  lives 
who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best. — P.  F. 
Bailey. 

Very  few  people  are  good  economists  of  their  fortune, 
and  still  fewer  of  their  time. — Chesterfield. 

We  are  always  complaining  our  days  are  few,  and  act- 
ing as  though  there  would  be  no  end  of  them. — Addison. 

57 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

Many  a  man  spends  half  his  time  anticipating  to-mor- 
row and  the  other  half  in  regretting  yesterday. 

I  wasted  time,  and  now  doth  time  waste  me. — Richard 
III. 

Time  is  short,  your  obligations  are  infinite.  Are  your 
houses  regulated,  your  children  instructed,  the  afflicted 
relieved,  the  poor  visited,  the  work  of  piety  accom- 
plished ? — Massillon. 

Drive  the  minutes  or  they  will  drive  you. 

Some  squander  time,  some  invest  it,  some  kill  it.  That 
precious  half  hour  a  day  which  many  of  us  throw  away, 
rightly  used,  would  save  us  from  the  ignorance  which 
mortifies  us,  the  narrowness  and  pettiness  which  always 
attend  too  exclusive  application  to  our  callings.  It  would 
tinge  and  color  the  day  as  the  drop  of  ruby  liquid  im- 
parts its  hue  to  the  gallon  of  water  in  a  druggist's  globe. 
Four  things  come  not  back — the  spoken  word,  the  sped 
arrow,  the  past  life  and  the  neglected  opportunity. — 
Success. 

Love  that  has  nothing  but  beauty  to  keep  it  in  good 
health  is  short-lived  and  apt  to  have  ague  fits. 

The  consciousness  of  duty  performed  gives  us  music- 
at  midnight. — George  Herbert. 

Make  use  of  time,  if  thou  lovest  eternity;  know,  yes- 
terday cannot  be  recalled,  to-morrow  cannot  be  assured; 
to-day  only  is  thine;  one  to-day  is  worth  two  to-morrows. 
— Enchiridion. 

Love,  the  true  love  of  God,  is  the  love  of  His  truth, 
of  His  holiness,  of  His  whole  will ;  the  true  love  is  that 
which  reflects  itself  in  obedience;  the  true  love  is  that 
which  stirs  and  purifies  the  conscience. — Vinet. 

Only  truth  commands  truth;  he  who  lies  will  always 
be  deceived. 

As  the  ivy  clings  to  a  lofty  tower,  so  should  we  cling 
to  the  truth. 

It  makes  no  difference  whether  we  be  praised  or 
blamed  by  men,  as  in  reality  we  are  only  that  which  we 
are  before  God. — Ven.  Clement. 

Shun  delays,  they  breed  remorse ; 
Use  thy  time  while  time  is  lent  thee. 
Good  is  best  when  soonest  wrought. 
Lingering  labors  com.e  to  naught. 

— Southwell. 

Truth  comes  to  us  only  by  glimpses.  There  are  some 
who  refuse  to  receive  a  partial  truth,  who  insist  upon 
having  a  clear  idea  of  the  whole,  or  at  least  upon  per- 
suading themselves  that  they  have  it,  before  they  yield 

58 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

assent  to  anything.  They  will  believe  nothing  which 
they  cannot  understand,  they  say,  forgetting  that,  al- 
though we  may  both  believe  and  understand  many  things 
to  be  true,  it  is  only  by  occasional  glimpses  that  we  can 
ever  discover  how  they  came  to  be  so.  For  instance,  we 
all  believe  the  wonders  of  the  natural  world,  the  exist- 
ence and  motions  of  the  planets  and  stars,  the  changes 
in  the  earth^s  surface,  the  marvelous  growth  in  the  vege- 
table world,  and  the  still  more  wonderful  development 
of  the  animal  creation — of  conscious  life  and  human  in- 
telligence. In  believing  these  things  we  understand 
that  they  are  so,  how  they  came  to  be  so,  how  they  per- 
form their  several  functions,  what  are  the  laws  which 
uphold  them  and  the  forces  they  obey — these  things  we 
do  not  understand,  except  as  study  or  thought,  or  partici- 
pation in  another^s  thought,  give  us  glimpses  of  the 
truth. 

Benevolence  is  a  duty.  He  who  frequently  practices 
it,  and  sees  some  of  his  benevolent  intentions  realized,  at 
length  comes  really  to  love  him  to  whom  he  hath  done 
good.  When  it  is  said,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself,"  it  is  not  meant  thou  shalt  love  him  first,  and 
do  good  to  him  in  consequence  of  that  love;  but  thou 
shalt  do  good  to  thy  neighbor,  and  this,  thy  benevolence, 
will  engender  in  thee  that  love  to  mankind  which  is  the 
fullness  and  consummation  of  the  inclination  to  do  good. 

It  is  love  in  duties  that  God  regards  more  than  the 
duties  themselves. 

Rise !  for  the  day  is  passing ; 

The  sound  that  you  scarcely  hear 
Is  the  enemy  marching  to  battle : — 

Arise !  for  the  foe  is  here ! 

Stay  not  to  sharpen  your  weapons. 
Or  the  hour  will  strike  at  last. 

When  from  dreams  of  a  coming  battle. 
You  may  wake  to  find  it  past ! 

— Procter. 

Catch,  then,  0  catch,  the  transient  hour ; 

Improve  each  moment  as  it  flies; 
Life's  a  short  summer — man  a  flower — 

He  dies — alas  !  how  soon  he  dies ! 

— Johnson. 

Never  esteem  anything  as  of  advantage  to  thee  that 
shall  make  thee  break  thy  word  or  lose  thy  self-respect. 
— Marcus  Aurelius. 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye  may, 

Old  Time  is  still  a-flying ; 
And  this  same  flower  that  smiles  to-day, 
To-morrow  will  be  dying.  — Herrick. 

The  first  of  all  gospels  is  this,  that  a  lie  can  not  en- 
dure forever. — CaHyle. 

For  he  who  once  is  guilty  of  a  lie 

Is  always  doubted  though  he  speaketh  true. 

— Calderon. 
Now  is  the  time  for  sowing  the  seed 

For  the  harvest  of  future  years, 
Now  is  the  time  for  a  noble  deed, 
While  the  need  for  the  work  appears. 

You  must  earn  the  bread  of  your  liberty 
By  the  toil  and  the  sweat  of  your  brow 

And  hasten  the  good  time  yet  to  be 
By  improving  the  good  time  now. 

There  is  not  a  moment  without  some  duty. 

Nothing  can  atone  for  the  want  of  truth;  not  the 
most  brilliant  imagination,  the  most  playful  fancy,  the 
most  pure  feeling  (supposing  that  feeling  could  be  pure 
and  false  at  the  same  time), .not  the  most  comprehen- 
sive grasp  of  intellect,  can  make  amends  for  the  want 
of  truth.  And  that  for  two  reasons:  First,  because 
falsehood  is  in  itself  revolting  and  degrading,  and  sec- 
ondly, because  Nature  is  so  immeasurably  superior  to 
all  the  human  mind  can  conceive,  that  every  departure 
from  her  is  a  fall  beneath  her,  so  that  there  can  be  no 
such  thing  as  an  ornamental  falsehood.  All  falsehood 
must  be  a  blot  as  well  as  a  sin,  an  injury  as  well  as  a  de- 
ception.— Ruskin. 

If  you  do  your  duty  with  patience. 

No  matter  how  homely  the  toil, 
You're  sure  to  find  at  the  ending, 

What  sloth  cannot  master  or  soil. 
If  your  standard  is  lofty  and  steadfast, 

You  may  win  if  you  climb  with  a  will, 
The  prize  to  be  yours  by  possession 

Must  be  sought  at  the  top  of  the  hill. 
Whenever  Temptation  is  present, 

Don't  loiter  and  list  to  her  say, 
'Tis  best  to  avoid  a  near  danger. 

By  getting  well  out  of  the  way. 

Those  who  never  retract  their  opinion  love  themselves 
more  than  they  love  truth. 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

It  is  difficult  to  persuade  men  that  the  love  of  virtue 
is  the  love  of  themselves. 

The  man  of  pure  and  simple  heart 
Through  life  disdains  a  double  part; 

He  never  needs  the  screen  of  lies 

His  inward  bosom  to  disguise.  — Gay. 

The  man  who  prefers  his  dearest  friend  to  the  call  of 
duty  will  soon  show  that  he  prefers  himself  to  his  dear- 
est friend. 
NO; 
Learn  to  speak  this  little  word 

In  its  proper  place; 
Let  no  timid  doubt  be  heard, 
Cloth'd  with  skeptic  grace ; 
Let  thy  lips,  without  disguise. 

Boldly  pour  it  out, 
Though  a  thousand  dulcet  lies 

Keep  hovering  about. 
For  be  sure  our  lives  would  lose 

Future  years  of  woe, 
If  our  courage  could  refuse 
The  present  hour  with  "No." 

— Eliza  Cook. 

Dost  thou  love  life?  Then  waste  not  time,  for  time 
is  the  stuff  that  life  is  made  of. — Franklin. 

Devote  each  day  to  the  object  then  in  time,  and  every 
evening  will  find  something  done. — Goethe. 

Everything  comes  if  a  man  will  only  wait. — Disraeli. 

Never  idle  precious  time ; 

Never  grumble,  scold,  or  whine ; 
As  far  as  earth  is  from  the  skies. 
Above  all  petty  quarrels  rise. 

At  the  falling  of  another, 

Be  it  friend  or  be  it  brother, 
Never  sneer,  and  ne'er  deride. 
Help  the  weak  and  conquer  pride. 

Every  violation  of  truth  is  a  stab  at  the  health  of  hu- 
man society. 

As  you  value  the  approbation  of  Heaven  and  the  es- 
teem of  men,  cultivate  the  love  of  truth.  Ingenuity  and 
candor  possess  the  most  powerful  charms ;  they  bespeak 
universal  favor,  and  carry  an  apology  for  almost  every 
failing. 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth, 

We  cannot  stay  thy  footsteps,  Time ! 

Thy  flight  no  hand  may  bind, 
Save  His  whose  foot  is  on  the  sea, 

Whose  voice  is  on  the  wind ; 
Yet  when  the  stars  from  their  bright  spheres 

Like  living  flames  are  hurled. 
Thy  mighty  form  will  sink  beneath 

The  ruins  of  a  world ! 

If  you  loved  only  what  were  worth  your  love. 
Love  were  clear  gain,  and  wholly  well  for  you. 
Make  the  low  nature  better  by  your  throes! 
Give  earth  yourself,  go  up  for  gain  above ! 

— Browning. 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  swallow  truth ;  we  must  feed 
upon  it,  as  insects  do  upon  the  leaf,  till  the  whole  heart 
be  colored  by  its  qualities,  and  shows  its  food  in  every 
part. — Coleridge. 

Truth  hovers  about  the  thoughtful  and  smiles  on 
them  unawares. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Crowns  of  roses  fade;  crowns  of  thorns  endure.  Cal- 
varies and  crucifixions  take  deepest  hold  on  humanity. 
The  triumphs  of  might  are  transient;  they  pass  away 
and  are  forgotten.  The  sufferings  of  right  are  graven 
deepest  on  the  chronicle  of  nations. — Fr.  Ryan. 

Happiness  is  to  be  found  in  no  road,  but  that  of  duty. 
Eeal  respect  or  esteem  cannot  be  bought  by  all  the 
wealth  in  the  world.  But  the  beauty  which  beams  from 
moral  worth  will  not  be  dimmed  by  time  or  fortune ;  the 
more  known,  the  more  will  it  be  admired ;  and  the  lapse 
of  years  which  shades  other  beauty  will  only  give  to  this 
an  increasing  luster.  Walk  steadily  on  in  the  path  of 
duty  whithersoever  that  path  may  lead  you.  There 
neither  is  nor  can  be  any  middle  ground  between  right 
and  wrong.     Excel  in  every  good  word  and  work. 

Thrift  of  time  is  as  necessary  as  thrift  of  money,  and 
he  who  knows  how  to  save  time  has  learned  the  secret 
of  accumulating  educational  opportunity.  Men  who 
regard  it  as  sinful  to  waste  money,  waste  time  with  a 
prodigal's  lavishness  because  they  do  not  understand  the 
value  of  short  periods  of  time.  Society  is  full  of  peo- 
ple who  might  enrich  themselves  a  hundred  fold  and 
make  their  lives  immensely  more  interesting  if  they 
learned  this  commonplace  truth. 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth. 

The  Course  of  Truth. 

"Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day,  and  showed  Him 
openly,  not  to  all  the  people,  but  unto  witnesses  chosen 
before  of  God/^ 


When  royal  Truth,  released  from  mortal  throes, 
Burst  His  brief  slumber,  and  triumphant  rose, 

111  had  the  Holiest  sued 

A  patron  multitude. 
Or  courted  Tetrarch's  eye,  or  claimed  to  rule 
By  the  world's  winning  grace,  or  proof  from  learned 

school. 
But,  robing  Him  in  viewless  air.  He  told 
His  secret  to  a  few  of  meanest  mold ; 

They  in  their  turn  imparted 

Their  gift  to  men  pure-hearted. 
While  the  brute  many  heard  His  mysteries  high. 
As  some  strange  fearful  tongue,  and  crouched  they  knew 
not  why. 

Still  is  the  might  of  Truth,  as  it  has  been. 
Lodged  in  the  few,  obey'd  and  yet  unseen. 

Rear'd  on  four  heights,  and  rare. 
His  saints  their  watch-flame  bear, 
And  the  mad  world  sees  the  wide-circling  blaze. 
Vain  search  whence  it  streams  and  how  to  quench  its 
rays.  — Cardinal  Newman, 

Truth  is  the  goal  of  human  aspiration. 

Thfc  sweetest  lives  are  those  to  duty  wed, 

Wliose  deeds,  both  great  and  small. 
Are  close-knit  strands  of  unbroken  thread. 
Where  love  ennobles  all. 
The  world  mav  sound  no  trumpets,  ring  no  bells; 
The  book  of  life  the  shining  record  tells. 
Thy  love  shall  chant  its  own  beatitudes 
After  its  own  life  working.     A  child's  kiss 
Set  on  thy  sighing  lips  shall  make  thee  glad. 
A  sick  man  helped  by  thee  shall  make  thee  strong. 
Thou  shalt  be  served  thyself  in  every  sense 
Of  service  which  thou  renderest. 

— Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning, 


Opportunity,       Duty,       Truth 

If  I  can  live 

To  make  some  pale  face  brighter,  and  to  give 

A  second  luster  to  some  tear-dimmed  eye, 
Or  e'en  impart 
One  throb  of  comfort  to  an  aching  heart, 

Or  cheer  some  wayworn  soul  in  passing  by; 

If  I  can  lend 

A  strong  hand  to  the  fallen,  or  defend 

The  right  against  a  single  envious  strain, 
My  life,  though  bare, 
Perhaps,  of  much  that  seemeth  dear  and  fair 

To  us  on  earth,  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 

The  purest  joy. 

Most  near  to  heaven,  far  from  earth's  alloy, 

Is  bidding  clouds  give  way  to  sun  and  shine. 
And  'twill  be  well 
If  on  that  day  of  days  the  angels  tell 

Of  me:  "She  did  her  best  for  one  of  Thine." 

— Helen  Hunt  Jackson, 


«4 


CHAPTER  V. 
Thoughts,  Words,  Deeds. 

The  great  high-road  of  human  welfare  lies  along  the 
old  highway  of  steadfast  well-doing. — Smiles. 

If  there  be  a  pleasure  on  earth  which  angels  cannot 
enjoy,  and  which  they  might  almost  envy  man  the  pos- 
session of,  it  is  the  power  of  relieving  distress. — Lacon. 

Noble  desires,  unless  filled  up  with  action, 
Are  but  a  shell  of  gold,  hollow  within. 

— Roscoe. 

Faith  shares  the  future's  promise ;  Love's 

Self-offering  is  a  triumph  won; 
And  each  good  thought  or  action  moves 

The  dark  world  nearer  to  the  sun. 

—J,  G.  Whittier. 

He  who  receives  a  good  turn  should  never  forget  it; 
he  who  does  one  should  never  remember  it. — Charron, 

Life  is  made  up,  not  of  great  sacrifices,  or  duties,  but 
of  little  things,  in  which  smiles  and  kindnesses,  and 
small  obligations,  given  habitually,  are  what  win  and 
preserve  the  heart,  and  secure  comfort. — Sir  Humphry 
Davy. 

If  you  would  help  others,  forget  yourself;  for  self- 
interest  destroys  all  good. 

A  kindly  thought  toward  a  fellow  mortal  has  but  lit- 
tle virtue  in  it  if  it  be  not  transmuted  into  a  generous 
deed. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Goodness  and  love  mold  the  form  into  their  own 
image,  and  cause  the  beauty  and  joy  of  love  to  shine 
forth  from  every  part  of  the  face. 

Few  can  utter  words  of  wisdom,  but  opportunity  to 
speak  kind  words  is  offered  to  every  one  and  they  are 
more  helpful. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

You  never  lose  by  doing  a  good  act. 

65 


Thoughts,        Words,        Deeds. 

How  many  people  would  be  mute  if  they  were  forbid- 
den to  speak  well  of  themselves  and  evil  of  others? 

Never  to  give  up,  but  ever  to  keep  up  and  to  keep  at 
it,  is  the  duty  and  the  test  of  heroism  in  times  that  are 
hard  and  in  hours  that  are  dark. 

The  only  sacrifice  agreeable  to  God  is  that  which  the 
fire  of  charity  consumes  on  the  altar  of  good  works. — 
St.  Gregory  the  Great. 

Be  good,  do  good,  and  you  will  be  happy.  • 

Never  call  that  little  which  God  tells  you  to  do;  it 
may  be  the  last  grain  in  the  balance  that  shall  turn  the 
scale  of  a  life-destiny. 

Let  it,  however,  be  remembered,  that  he  who  has 
money  to  spare,  has  it  always  in  his  power  to  benefit 
others;  and,  of  such  power  a  good  man  must  always  be 
desirous. — Johnson. 

When  you  rise  in  the  morning,  form  a  resolution  to 
make  the  day  a  happy  one  to  a  fellow-creature. — Sydney 
Smiih. 

Thinking  has  often  made  me  very  unhappy,  acting 
never  has.  Do  something — do  good  if  you  can,  but  do 
something. — Mrs.  Gaskell. 

Good  actions  give  strength  to  ourselves,  and  inspire 
good  actions  in  others. — Samuel  Smiles. 

He  who  waits  to  do  a  great  deal  of  good  at  once  will 
never  do  anything. — Johnson. 

And  if  our  brethren  were  not  kind,  this  earth  were 
but  a  dreary  place. — Bryant. 

Think  that  day  lost  whose  descending  sun 
Views  from  thy  hand  no  noble  action  done. 

— Jacob  Bohart. 
He  who  wishes  to  secure  the  good  of  others  has  already 
secured  his  own. — Confucius. 

Those  who  are  quite  satisfied,  sit  still  and  do  nothing ; 
those  who  are  not  quite  satisfied,  are  the  sole  benefactors 
of  the  world. — W.  S.  Landor. 

The  hospitality  of  some  people  has  no  roof  to  it.  Ten 
people  will  give  you  a  dinner  for  one  who  will  offer  you 
a  bed  and  a  breakfast. — George  Macdonald. 

Sure  of  the  Spring  that  warms  them  into  birth. 
The  golden  germs  thou  trusteth  to  the  earth ; 
Heed'st  thou  as  well  to  sow  in  Time 
The  seeds  of  Wisdom  for  eternity — good  deeds. 

— Schiller. 

There  is  nothing  truly  great  save  goodness. — Bossuet. 

How  often  has  good  grain  fallen  into  a  corner  of  the 

heart,  and  when  it  has  been  long  forgotten,  all  at  once 

66 


Thoughts,        Words,        Deeds. 

puts  forth  the  blade  and  comes  into  ear.  It  is  a  treasure 
laid  aside  in  a  time  of  ignorance,  and  we  do  not  know 
its  value  till  the  day  we  find  ourselves  in  need  of  it. — 
An  Attic  Philosopher. 

The  way  of  life  is  bv  no  means  smooth,  but  let  us  not 
make  it  rougher  than  it  is.  The  world  is  not  all  we 
could  wish;  but,  if  it  goes  wrong,  let  us  not  spend  our- 
selves trying  to  make  it  go  worse.  Eather  let  us  make 
it  a  little  smoother,  and  a  little  pleasanter  by  our  dispo- 
sition, manners  and  deeds.  If  men  in  general  are  out 
of  sorts,  there  is  the  worse  need  of  our  being  in  sorts. 

Every  good  action  has  a  merit,  that  is  a  certain  con- 
formity to  the  will  of  God,  and  every  evil  action  has  a 
demerit  that  is  a  deformity,  which  will  be  followed  by 
punishment. 

There  is  something  so  noble  and  elevating  in  thought- 
fulness,  that  it  cannot  be  wholly  expressed  in  words.  By 
thoughtfulness  I  mean  consideration  for  others'  failings, 
forgetfulness  of  self,  joined  by  a  constant  and  generous 
desire  to  be  of  service.  It  makes  us  resemble  our  Lord, 
who  thought  not  of  Himself,  nor  of  His  comfort,  but  of 
the  welfare  of  others. 

I  expect  to  pass  through  this  life  but  once.  If,  there- 
fore, there  is  any  kindness  I  can  show  or  any  good  I  can 
do  to  any  fellow-being,  let  me  do  it  now.  Let  me  not 
defer  or  neglect  it,  for  I  shall  not  pass  this  way  again. — 
Anon. 

We  are  commanded  to  beware  of  idle  speaking;  be- 
ware we  also  of  things  which  foster  it — idle  hearing  and 
idle  seeing,  and  knowledge  of  idle  things. — Pusey. 

The  effect  of  noble  thoughts,  just  privileges,  of  ele- 
vated conceptions,  is  never  lost. — Alison. 

The  virtues  of  a  man  are  seen  in  his  actions. — Cicero. 

That  best  portion  of  a  good  man's  life,  his  little,  name- 
less, unremembered  acts  of  kindness  and  of  love. — 
Wordsworth. 

Kindness :  A  language  which  the  dumb  can  speak,  and 
the  deaf  can  understand. 

No  human  being  ever  yet  was  sorry  for  love  or  kind- 
ness shown  to  others.  But  there  is  no  pang  of  remorse 
as  keen  as  the  bitterness  with  which  we  remember  neg- 
lect or  coldness  shown  to  loved  ones  that  are  dead.  Do 
not  begrudge  loving  deeds  and  kind  words,  especially  to 
those  who  gather  with  you  about  the  same  hearth.    In 

67 


Thoughts,        Words,        Deeds. 

many  families  a  habit  of  nagging,  crossness  or  ill-na- 
tured gibing,  gradually  covers  the  real  feelings  of  love 
that  lie  deep  beneath.  And  after  all,  it  is  such  a  little 
way  that  we  can  go  together. 

A  good  thought  propagated  is  an  angel,  who  sets 
forth  in  the  name  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  send 
him,  to  do  good  wherever  his  mission  lies. 

You  long  to  accomplish  works  of  mercy,  so  sweet  to 
the  soul,  so  meritorious  before  heaven ;  to  give  alms,  for 
instance;  but  you  are  poor.  Send  a  thought  suggestive 
simply  of  the  happiness  of  giving,  and,  guided  by  Provi- 
dence, it  will  touch  the  heart  of  some  rich  man,  until 
moved  by  it  he  will  dispense  his  riches  widely,  and  the 
good  God  will  have  two  persons  to  reward — the  giver 
and  the  inspirer  of  the  gift. 

You  wish  to  visit  those  who  are  sick  and  in  prison,  to 
console  mourners,  and  speak  of  God  to  little  children 
who  do  not  know  Him;  but  your  duty  keeps  you  within 
the  strict  inclosure  of  a  family  circle.  Send  out  a 
thought  speaking  of  God's  goodness,  of  the  blessing  and 
merit  of  suffering,  of  the  sweet  repose  of  Paradise  which 
may  soon  be  ours.  This  thought  will  call  forth  a  smile, 
a  hope,  an  act  of  love,  and  God  will  thank  you  for  a  soul 
which  was,  perhaps,  forgetting  Him. 

A  fervent  soul  at  the  point  of  death  said,  "What  com- 
forts me  about  the  judgment  of  God  is  the  devout  books 
and  good  reading  that  I  have  distributed  during  my  life. 
It  seems  as  if  every  good  thought  they  have  suggested 
or  will  suggest  must  plead  for  me  with  the  good  God." 

How  many  hearts,  long  locked  and  hard, 

Have  to  their  inmost  depths  been  stirred, 
And  evermore  remained  unbarred 

By  just  a  little  kindly  word  ! 
Hearts  that  the  world  had  tried  to  break. 

Or  even  bend — but  all  in  vain — 
Their  strong  foundation  none  could  shake, 

They  only  steeled  beneath  their  pain. 

Life  is  too  short,  and  overmuch 

We  feel  the  chilling  shrug  or  sneer; 
!  But  oh !  the  kindly  word  and  touch 

Have  power  to  soothe,  and  force  to  cheer; 
And  yet  for  years  and  years  apart 

Some  friend  may  dwell  in  anguished  mind, 
While  all  it  needs  to  reach  his  heart 

Is  just  some  word  or  action  kind. 


Thoughts,        Words,       Deeds. 

The  gentle  word  and  gracious  voice 

Are  set  to  sweetest  harmony; 
Their  music  bids  the  heart  rejoice, 

And  though  we  may  not,  God  can  see 
The  imprint  of  His  Love  Divine, 

In  characters  by  time  unblurred. 
On  loving  acts  and  tender  sign. 

And  ev'ry  little  kindly  word. 

—E.  A.  O'Reilly. 

Lamps  do  not  talk,  but  they  do  shine.  A  lighthouse 
sounds  no  drum,  it  beat  no  gong,  and  yet,  far  over  the 
waters,  its  friendly  spark  is  seen  by  the  mariner.  So  let 
our  actions  shine  out.  Let  the  main  sermon  of  our  lives 
be  illustrated  by  our  conduct,  and  it  shall  not  fail  to  be 
eloquent  and  fruitful. 

The  look  of  sympathy,  the  gentle  word, 
Spoken  so  low  that  only  angels  heard; 
The  secret  act  of  pure  self-sacrifice, 
Unseen  by  men,  but  marked  by  angels'  eyes, — 

These  are  not  lost. 
The  kindly  plan  devised  for  others'  good. 
So  seldom  guessed,  but  little  understood; 
The  quiet,  steadfast  love  that  strove  to  win 
Some  wanderers  from  the  ways  of  sin, — 
These  are  not  lost. 

— Richard  Metcalf. 

How  many  regrets,  how  many  sighs,  how  many  tears 
are  oftentimes  the  price  of  one  thoughtless  word! — St. 
Vincent. 

As  a  man  hath  but  two  hands  and  but  two  feet,  so  he 
hath  but  two  kinds  of  ways  for  those  feet,  but  two  sorts 
of  works  for  those  hands.  His  deeds  be  either  good  or 
bad,  his  ways  either  right  or  wrong. — Thomas  Adams. 

The  unwelcome  kick  of  a  mule  may  leave  a  black-and- 
blue  mark,  but  one  unkind  word  may  often  cause  more 
pain: 

Soft  words  may  appease  an  angry  man — bitter  words 
never  will.  Would  you  throw  fuel  on  a  house  in  flames 
in  order  to  extinguish  the  fire? 

More  hearts  pine  away  in  secret  anguish  from  the  want 
of  kindness  from  those  who  should  be  their  comfort 
than  from  any  other  calamities  in  life. 

Kindness  is  the  golden  chain  by  which  society  is 
bound  together. — Goethe. 

The  only  important  thing  in  good  works  is  the  amount 
of  love  we  put  into  them.  The  soul  of  an  action  is  its 
motive. — Faber. 


Thoughts,        Words,       Deeds. 

Life  is  made  up  of  little  things.  It  is  but  once  in  an 
age  that  occasion  is  offered  for  doing  a  great  deed.  True 
greatness  consists  in  being  great  in  little  things. 

We  condemn  gossip — -scandal's  twin  sister — yet  it  is 
a  fault  easily  committed.  We  begin  by  a  gentle  depre- 
catory reference  to  somebody's  infirmity  of  temper,  and 
we  find  ourselves  specifying  a  particular  time  and  scene, 
which  straightway  the  one  who  hears  tells  to  some  one 
else  with  additions,  slight,  perhaps,  but  material.  Before 
we  know  it  we  have  stirred  up  a  hornet's  nest.  This  may 
be  done  without  any  more  potent  motive  than  a  mere 
love  of  fun — and  half  the  gossip  in  the  social  world  is 
of  the  unthinking  kind  indulged  in  merely  from  a  spirft 
of  drollery.  Far  worse  is  that  other  sort  of  talk  which 
ends  in  slander  and  begins  in  malice,  and  which  sepa- 
rates friends  and  sunders  ties  of  years  of  intercourse  with 
its  sharp  and  Jarring  discords.  The  only  way  to  avoid 
this  evil  is  to  refrain  from  making  the  affairs  of  our 
friends  a  staple  article  of  conversation  in  the  household. 
There  are  plenty  of  subjects  at  hand — let  us  carefully 
avoid  personalities. 

Kind  words — as  the  breath  of  the  dew  to  the  tender 
plant,  they  gently  fall  upon  the  drooping  heart,  refresh- 
ing its  withered  tendrils  and  soothing  its  burning  woes. 
Bright  oases  they  are  in  life's  great  desert.  Who  can  esti- 
mate the  pang  they  have  alleviated,  or  the  good  works  they 
have  accomplished?  Long  after  they  are  uttered  do 
they  reverberate  in  the  soul's  inner  chamber,  and  sing 
low,  sweet,  liquid  strains,  that  quell  all  the  raging 
storms  that  may  have  before  existed,  and  oh !  when  the 
heart  is  sad,  and,  like  a  broken  harp,  the  sweetest  chords 
of  pleasure  cease  to  vibrate,  who  can  tell  the  power  of 
one  kind  word  ?  One  little  word  of  tenderness  gushing 
in  upon  the  soul  will  sweep  the  long-neglected  chords, 
and  awaken  the  most  pleasant  strains. 

When,  borne  down  with  the  troubles  of  life,  we  are 
ready  to  sink  fainting  by  the  way,  how  like  the  cheerful 
rays  of  sunshine  do  kind  words  come.  They  disperse 
the  clouds,  dispel  the  gloom,  and  drive  sorrow  far  away. 
Kind  words  are  like  jewels  in  the  heart,  never  to  be  for- 
gotten, but  perhaps  to  cheer  by  their  memory  a  long  sad 
life,  while  words  of  cruelty  are  like  darts  in  the  bosom, 
wounding  and  leaving  scars  that  will  be  borne  to  the 
grave  by  their  victim.  Why  is  it,  then,  that  we  do  not 
always  seek  by  kind  words  to  scatter  sunbeams  along 
the  pathway  of  others  ? 

It  has  been  well  said :  "The  pains  we  spend  upon  our 
mortal  selves  will  perish  with  ourselves ;  but  the  care  we 

70 


Thoughts,        Words,       Deeds, 

give  out  of  a  good  heart  to  others,  the  efforts  of  disin- 
terested duty,  the  deeds  and  thoughts  of  pure  affection, 
are  never  lost/^ 

We  need  never  be  useless;  a  pious  word,  an  act  of 
kindness,  are  so  many  seeds  which  always  bear  fruit. 

Boyle  O'Reilly's  little  poem,  "What  Is  Good?"  con- 
tains the  whole  philosophy  of  the  best  thing  in  the 
world — "kindness  is  the  word  !" 

What  sad  heart  has  not  been  made  glad  by  kindness? 
It  fills  the  world  with  sunshine  and  fragrance.  There 
is  a  magic  in  it  greater  than  the  art  of  the  sorcerer;  it 
lifts  the  weight  from  the  overburdened  spirit,  it  heals 
the  wounded  feelings;  it  kindles  a  gleam  of  hope  for 
the  despairing,  and  encourages  the  timid  to  higher  effort. 

It  is  the  little  acts  of  kindness  which  make  up  the  sum 
total  of  human  happiness.  A  pleasant  word,  a  smile,  a 
caress,  even  a  glance  of  the  eye,  may  often  light  up  the 
face  of  sorrow  with  joy.  It  is  strange  that  a  thing  that 
costs  such  little  effort  is  so  often  undervalued  and  neg- 
lected. 

Kindness  is  also  a  great  virtue.  A  man  who  is  un- 
kind is  not  a  practical  Christian,  for  Christ  was  always 
kind.  Integrity,  industry  and  kindness  are  the  three 
great  hinges  of  respectability,  success  and  happiness 
among  men. 

A  great  amount  of  suffering  and  evils  without  number 
might  be  avoided  if  we  would  but  cherish  in  our  hearts 
the  determination  to  make  those  about  us  happy.  Then 
the  satisfaction  of  giving  a  cup  of  cold  water  in  Christ's 
name  would  bring  its  own  reward,  though  no  earthly  ob- 
server see  or  praise  the  action. 

Even  our  bitterest  enemies  may  sometimes  be  over- 
come by  a  kind  act  or  word.  What  a  pleasant  place  this 
world  would  be  "if  hearts  were  always  kind!"  Christ 
left  us  by  His  example  and  precepts  the  law  of  love  and 
kindness,  which  makes  "a  heaven  of  heaven  V  True  it 
is,  "kindness  is  the  word !" 

As  one  fault  leads  to  another,  so  one  good  deed  dis- 
poses us  to  perform  others. 

Thoughtfulness  teaches  us  to  adapt  ourselves  to  those 
with  whom  we  come  in  contact ;  to  study  their  likes  and 
dislikes,  that  we  may,  in  all  lawful  things,  give  them 
pleasure  and  avoid  whatever  tends  to  cause  them  anger 
or  disgust. 

We  may  note  the  faults  of  others,  for  by  them  we  may 
be  taught  a  useful  lesson ;  we  may  give  them  an  under- 
standing, but  no  tongue,  always  remembering  that 

71 


Thoughts,        Words,        Deed 


"To  others'  faults  we  should  be  ever  kind, 
To  others'  virtues  never  blind." 

In  association  with  others  we  should  bear  in  mind  one 
great  truth :  None  are  wholly  bad ;  there  is  some  good, 
be  it  ever  so  little,  in  every  man.  We  cannot  always  see 
it,  nevertheless  it  is  there.  Consequently  we  must  never 
look  down  on  anyone,  for  however  lowly  he  may  now  ap- 
pear, "he  may  one  day  be  our  superior  by  being  truer  to 
his  gifts  than  we  are  to  ours."  If  we  are  truly  thought- 
ful, kindliness  will  animate  all  our  actions,  for  often,  as 
the  poet  beautifully  remarks : 

I  "0,  many  a  shaft  at  random  sent 

Finds  mark  the  archer  little  meant; 
And  many  a  word  at  random  spoken 
May  soothe  or  wound  a  heart  that's  broken.'^ 

It  is  not  so  very  difficult  to  be  thoughtful,  if  one  really 
tries.  A  cheery  smile,  a  pleasant  word,  a  sincerely 
meant  "Good  morning"  are  not  much  in  themselves,  yet 
oftentimes  they  bring  peace  and  consolation  to  a  deso- 
late heart.  A  sympathetic  glance,  a  heartfelt  pressure 
of  the  hand — what  power  these  have  to  comfort  and  to 
soothe. 

Thoughtfulness,  however,  to  produce  the  best  results, 
must  be  tactful ;  for  then  it  becomes  a  peculiar  aptitude 
of  acting  under  all  circumstances  with  the  greatest  deli- 
cacy and  propriety.  This  happy  quality  is  the  result  or 
consequence  of  refinement,  and  genuine  refinement  be- 
longs rather  to  the  heart  than  to  the  head.  "Therefore," 
as  St.  Bonaventure  says,  "let  more  attention  be  given  to 
training  the  heart  than  to  developing  the  mind." 

Should  we  in  our  efforts  not  be  met  half-way,  we 
should  not,  on  that  account,  grow  discouraged;  nor 
should  we  give  way  to  impatience,  for  a  hasty  word  once 
uttered  can  with  difficulty  be  recalled.  The  complaint 
of  Cassius  to  Brutus  should  be  ever  ringing  in  our  ears: 
"A  friend  should  bear  his  friend's  infirmities."  To  get 
on  with  others,  then,  we  need  thoughtfulness.  It  teaches 
us  to  rise  above  self,  to  care  for  the  interests  and  feel- 
ings of  others ;  it  bids  us  have  a  kind  word  ever  upon  our 
lips,  a  pleasant  greeting  for  all,  and  manifest  sympathy 
for  those  in  sorrow  or  distress. 

Thoughtfulness  for  others  tends  to  make  us  earnest, 
straightforward  and  sincere.  Though  they  may  not  ap- 
preciate what  we  do  for  them,  still  the  thought  of  duty 
done  will  be  a  source  of  pleasure  which  ingratitude  can- 
not wholly  destroy.     It  is  in  man's  nature  to  fail ;  let  it 

72 


Thoughts,        Words,        Deeds, 

be  in  our  higher  nature  to  forgive  and  by  constant  en- 
deavors to  realize,  at  least  in  ourselves,  the  happiness  and 
joy  to  be  found  in  thoughtfulness  for  others. 

However  inconsiderable  the  act,  there  is  something  in 
the  well-doing  of  it  which  has  fellowship  with  the  no- 
blest forms  of  manly  virtue. — Buskin. 

The  .world  might  be  divided  into  those  who  let  things 
go,  and  to  those  who  do  not;  into  the  forces  and  facts, 
the  slaves  and  fancies;  into  those  who  are  always  doing 
something  on  God's  creative  lines  and  others  striving 
against  them. — George  Macdonald. 

Let  a  man  do  all  the  good  he  can,  and  whenever  he 
can,  he  will  never  do  too  much  for  his  own  happiness, 
or  the  happiness  of  others. — Bentham. 

We  tarnish  the  splendor  of  our  best  actions  by  too  of- 
ten speaking  of  them. — Blair. 

I  count  this  thing  to  be  grandly  true : 
That  a  noble  deed  is  a  step  toward  God, 
Lifting  the  soul  from  the  common  clod 

To  purer  air  and  broader  view. 

— J.  G.  Holland. 

Act  well  at  the  moment,  and  you  have  performed  a 
good  action  to  all  eternity. — Lavater. 

What  do  we  live  for,  if  it  is  not  to  make  life  less  dif- 
ficult to  each  other? — George  Eliot. 

No  man  yet  came  to  beggary  by  giving  alms ;  no  man 
was  ever  yet  made  poor  by  a  holy  prodigality;  for  by 
the  act  in  which  he  impoverished  himself,  he  laid  God 
under  the  pledge,  sealed  seven  times,  to  restore  to  him  in 
abundance,  that  which  He  gave  according  to  His  prom- 
ise. 

One  must  be  poor  to  know  the  luxury  of  giving. 

The  poor  hold  out  their  hands,  but  God  receives  what 
is  given  to  them. 

Alms  multiply  alms,  and  there  is  special  blessing 
upon  all  unselfishness.  No  gifts  are  so  much  blessed 
as  those  given  by  such  as  are  in  need  themselves. 

Kindness  has  converted  more  sinners  than  either  zeal, 
eloquence  or  learning. — Faher. 

Live  for  something.  Do  good,  and  leave  behind  you 
a  monument  of  virtue  that  the  storm  of  time  can  never 
destroy.  Write  your  name,  in  kindness,  love  and  mercy 
on  the  hearts  of  the  thousands  you  come  in  contact  with 
year  by  year;  you  will  never  be  forgotten.  No,  your 
name,  your  deeds,  will  be  as  legible  on  the  hearts  you 
leave  behind  as  the  stars  on  the  brow  of  evening.  Good 
deeds  will  shine  as  the  stars  of  heaven. — Chalmers. 

73 


Thoughts,        Words,       Deeds 


Be  what  thou  seemest ;  live  thy  creed. 

Hold  up  to  earth  the  torch  divine. 
Be  what  thou  prayest  to  be  made ; 

Let  the  Great  Master's  steps  be  thine. 
Sow  love,  and  taste  its  fruitage  pure; 

Sow  peace,  and  reap  its  harvest  bright ; 
Sow  sunbeams  on  the  rock  and  moor, 

And  find  a  harvest  home  of  light. 

Just  live  thy  life  in  full  content, 
Do  all  thy  best  with  what  is  sent. 
Thou  but  receivest  what  was  meant. 
Just  live  thy  life. 

Just  live  thy  life.    Be  not  in  fear. 
The  strength  of  wrong  shall  disappear. 
And  right  is  ever  drawing  near. 
Just  live  thy  life. 

Just  live  thy  life.     Seem  what  thou  art. 
Nor  from  simplicity  depart. 
And  peace  shall  come  upon  thy  heart. 
Just  live  thy  life. 


^  ^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Books,  Educattion,  Wisdom. 

Reading  maketh  the  full  man;  writing  maketh  the 
correct  man,  and  speaking  maketh  the  ready  man. — 
Lord  Bacon. 

To  educate  is  to  give  man  full  power  over  all  his  in- 
tellectual, moral  and  physical  faculties. 

Apply  the  results  of  your  reading  to  your  every-day 
life. — David  Pryde. 

The  truth  is,  that  ignorance  and  indifference  are  al- 
most the  same ;  we  are  sure  to  grow  interested  as  fast  as 
our  knowledge  extends,  in  any  subject  whatever. — W.  B. 
0,  Pedbody. 

With  pleasure  own  your  errors  past, 

And  make  each  day  a  critic  of  the  last. — Pope. 

Knowledge  is  that  which,  next  to  virtue,  truly  and  es- 
sentially raises  one  man  above  another. — Addison. 

Excellence  is  never  granted  to  man  but  as  the  reward 
of  labor.  It  argues,  indeed,  no  small  strength  of  mind 
to  persevere  in  the  habits  of  industry  without  the  pleas- 
ure of  perceiving  those  advantages  which,  like  the  hands 
of  a  clock,  whilst  they  make  hourly  approaches  to  their 
point,  yet  proceed  so  slowly  as  to  escape  observation. — 
Beynolds. 

He  that  studies  books  alone  will  know  how  things 
ought  to  be;  and  he  that  studies  men  will  know  how 
things  are. — CoUon. 

He  that  loveth  a  book  will  never  want  a  faithful 
friend,  a  wholesome  counselor,  a  cheerful  companion, 
an  effectual  comforter. — Isaac  Barrow. 

A  good  book  is  the  precious  life  blood  of  a  master 
spirit,  embalmed  and  treasured  up,  on  purpose  to  a  life 
beyond  life. — Milton. 

75 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

Force  yourself  to  reflect  on  what  you  read,  paragraph 
by  paragraph. — Coleridge. 

There  is  an  art  of  which  every  man  should  be  master, 
the  art  of  reflection. — Hid. 

Education  begins  the  gentleman,  but  reading,  good 
company  and  reflection  must  finish  him. — Locke. 

The  first  ingredient  of  conversation  is  truth ;  the  sec- 
ond, good  sense;  the  third,  good  humor. 

Every  absurdity  hath  a  champion  to  defend  it,  for  er- 
ror is  always  talkative. — Goldsmith. 

As  in  men,  so  in  books,  the  soul  is  all  with  which  our 
souls  must  deal;  and  the  soul  of  the  book  is  whatever 
beautiful,  true  and  noble  we  can  find  in  it. — Charles 
Kingsley. 

An  Educated  Man. 

What  is  an  "educated"  man  or  woman  and  how  is  he 
or  she  to  be  distinguished  ?  Professor  Butler,  of  Colum- 
bia, proposes  five  tests  of  education  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  the  term : 

1.  Correctness  and  precision  in  the  use  of  the  mother 
tongue. 

2.  Those  refined  and  gentle  manners  which  are  the 
expression  of  fixed  habits  of  thought  and  of  action. 

3.  The  power  and  habit  of  refiection. 

4.  The  power  of  intellectual  growth. 

5.  Efficiency,  the  power  to  do. 

This  brief  list  constitutes  such  a  good  answer  to  a  dif- 
ficult question  that  it  is  given  here  without  comment. 

A  person  is  made  by  the  company  he  keeps  in  the 
world  of  books  no  less  than  in  the  world  at  large.  Low, 
coarse  associates  will  leave  their  impress  on  the  mind, 
whether  we  meet  them  at  school,  on  the  street,  in  the 
shop  or  attractively  set  forth  in  the  pages  of  some  book. 
Just  so  with  those  that  are  pure  and  ennobling.  If  we 
seek  their  society,  and  enter  into  their  aims,  we  shall 
become  like  them.  Choose  your  friends  with  discretion, 
and  your  books  with  good  judgment ;  and  you  will  grow 
toward  the  high  standard  of  perfection. 

Learning  teaches  how  to  carry  things  in  suspense 
without  prejudice  till  your  resolve. — Bacon. 

The  talents  granted  to  a  single  individual  do  not  bene- 
fit himself  alone,  but  are  gifts  to  the  world;  every  one 
shares  them,  for  every  one  suffers  or  benefits  by  his  ac- 
tions. Genius  is  a  lighthouse,  meant  to  give  light  from 
afar;  the  man  who  bears  it  is  but  the  rock  upon  which 
the  lighthouse  is  built. — An  Attic  Philosopher. 

n 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

It  is  strange  that  most  students  should  inquire  with 
much  diligence  concerning  the  virtues  of  plants,  the 
motions  of  the  stars,  the  transmutations  of  metals  and 
other  similar  subjects,  while  few  or  none  make  it  their 
purpose  to  acquire  a  good  mind,  though  all  other  things 
are  to  be  esteemed  not  so  much  for  themselves  as  for 
their  influence  on  the  right  use  of  reason. — Descartes. 

Learn  to  live  with  the  thoughts  which  are  symbols  of 
His  Eternal  Being  and  thou  shalt  come  to  feel  that  noth- 
ing else  is  so  fresh  or  fair. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Learning  is  acquaintance  with  what  others  have  felt, 
thought,  done;  knowledge  is  the  result  of  what  we  our- 
selves have  felt,  thought  and  done. — Ihid. 

The  popular  breath,  even  when  winnowed  by  the 
winds  of  centuries,  is  hardly  pure. — Ibid. 

Knowledge  comes,  but  wisdom  lingers.     .     .     . 

He  who  teaches  often  learns  himself.  .  .  .  It  is 
chiefly  through  books  that  we  hold  intercourse  with  su- 
perior minds.     .     .     . 

Do  not  think  it  a  wasted  time  to  submit  yourself  to 
any  influence  which  may  bring  upon  you  any  noble  feel- 
ing.— Ruskin. 

Is  there  a  fairer  sight  than  that  of  children  early  led 
in  the  strait  and  narrow  way?  Train  up  a  child  in 
the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  de- 
part from  it,  is  the  assurance  of  inspiration.  Life  is  a 
way,  a  path ;  as  we  begin,  so  we  progress. 

Indolence  is  the  rust  of  wisdom  and  of  genius. — St. 
Jerome. 

The  excellence  of  every  creature  consists  in  persever- 
ing in  its  own  being  and  in  accomplishing  the  most  com- 
plete expression  of  its  own  qualities. — M.  Adam. 

Never  try  to  uproot  bad  propensities  by  tearing  them 
out — they  only  come  out  safely  by  persuasion  and  educa- 
tion. 

Never  copy  servilely  any  man.  Many  copies,  if  hon- 
estly made,  have  been  improvements  upon  the  originals. 

In  the  private  affairs  of  life,  as  in  political  and  in- 
ternational questions,  he  who  speaks  or  writes  the  best 
will  always  gain  an  ascendency  over  his  fellow-citizens. 
—^Marcel. 

Know  how  to  will!  Education  consists  in  forming 
men  of  character— that  is,  men  of  wills  energetically 
anchored  in  good  by  principles  which  nothing  can  shake. 
To  will  is  to  love  and  to  hate,  for  there  are  necessary 
hatreds.  To  will  is  to  enlarge  one's  heart,  to  refuse  to 
limit  one's  horizon,  either  in  desire  or  in  deed,  to  the 

77 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom, 

vulgar  realities  of  a  life  easy  for  self,  useless  for  others. 
Action  is  the  sign  of  life;  vigorous  action  is  the  sign 
of  youth.     You  must  act. 

It  is  the  wise  head  that  makes  the  still  tongue. — 
Lucas. 

Alas !  What  are  we  doing  all  our  lives,  both  as  a 
necessity  and  as  a  dut}^,  but  unlearning  the  world's 
poetry  and  attaining  to  its  prose.  This  is  our  education 
as  boys,  and  as  men;  in  the  action  of  life,  in  the  closet, 
or  the  library,  in  our  aifections,  in  our  homes  and  in 
our  memories. — Cardinal  Newman. 

They  that  instruct  many  to  justice  shall  shine  as  stars 
for  all  eternity. — Dan.  xii.  3. 

Suffer  the  little  children  and  forbid  them  not  to  come 
to  me,  for  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  for  such. — Matt. 
xix,  14. 

The  only  worthy  end  of  all  learning,  of  all  science — 
of  all  life,  in  fact — is  that  human  beings  should  love 
one  another  better. — George  Eliot. 

'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mind; 
Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree's  inclined. 

— Pope. 

I  love  my  books !    They  are  companions  dear^ 

Sterling  in  worth,  in  friendship  most  sincere; 

Here  talk  I  with  the  wise  in  ages  gone, 

And  with  the  nobly  gifted  of  our  own. 

If  love,  joy,  laughter,  sorrow,  please  my  mind, 

Love,  joy,  grief,  laughter  in  my  books  I  find. 

— Francis  Bennoch. 

In  the  highest  civilization  the  book  is  still  the  high- 
est delight.  He  who  has  once  known  its  satisfactions 
is  provided  with  a  resource  against  calamity.  Angels 
they  are  to  us  of  entertainment,  sympathy  and  provo- 
cation— ^silent  guides,  tractable  prophets,  historians  and 
singers,  whose  embalmed  life  is  the  highest  feat  of  art, 
who  now  cast  their  moonlight  illumination  over  solitude, 
weariness  and  fallen  fortune. — Emerson. 

Great  ideas  travel  slowly,  and  for  a  time  noiselessly 
as  the  gods,  whose  feet  were  shod  with  wool. 

The  evolution  which  is  slowly  proceeding  in  human 
society  is  not  primarily  intellectual,  but  religious  in 
character. 

We  must  look,  as  educators,  most  closely  to  those 
sides  of  the  national  life  where  there  is  the  greatest 
menace  of  ruin.  It  is  plain  that  our  besetting  sin,  as 
a  people,  is  not  intemperance  or  unchastity,  but  dis- 
honesty.    From    the    watering    and    manipulating    of 

73 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom, 

stocks  to  the  adulteration  of  food  and  drink,  from  the 
booming  of  towns  and  lands  to  the  selling  of  votes  and 
the  buying  of  office,  from  the  halls  of  Congress  to  the 
policeman^s  beat,  from  the  capitalist  who  controls  trusts 
and  syndicates  to  the  mechanic  who  does  inferior  work, 
the  taint  of  dishonesty  is  everywhere.  We  distrust  one 
another,  distrust  those  who  manage  public  affairs,  dis- 
trust our  fixed  will  to  suffer  the  worst  that  may  befall 
rather  than  cheat  or  steal  or  lie.  Dishonesty  hangs, 
like  mephitic  air,  about  our  newspapers,  our  legislative 
assemblies,  the  municipal  government  of  our  towns  and 
cities,  about  our  churches  even,  since  our  religion  itself 
seems  to  lack  the  highest  kind  of  honesty,  the  downright 
and  thorough  sincerity  which  is  its  life  breath. — Rt, 
Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

To  my  mind  and  country,  learning  cures  the  disease 
of  the  purse  fairly  well,  that  of  the  soul  not  at  all.  To 
him  who  has  not  the  science  of  virtue  all  other  knowl- 
edge is  harmful. — Montaigne. 

But  if  any  of  you  want  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
who  giveth  to  all  men  abundantly,  and  upbraideth  not; 
and  it  shall  be  given  him. — St.  James  i,  5. 

He  will  guide  the  mind  in  judgment;  he  will  teach 
the  meek  his  ways. — Psalm  xxiv,  9. 

In  connection  with  amusements,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  understand  why  the  young  men  of  to-day  deem 
the  theater  an  absolute  essential  in  seeking  diversion. 
An  evening  with  a  good  book  is,  or  ought  to  be,  more 
satisfying  to  the  young  man  of  brains  than  an  evening 
in  a  hall  where  a  lot  of  make-believe  characters  are 
strutting  up  and  down  the  stage,  like  children  at  a 
masquerade.  When  the  human  race  reaches  its  highest 
mental  and  moral  development  there  will  probably  be 
no  theaters. — Russell  Sage. 

It  is  criminally  unscientific  to  judge  a  people  or  an 
institution  by  one  feature  or  one  epoch  in  its  career. 
Peoples,  like  individuals,  have  their  ups  and  downs, 
periods  of  advance  and  retreat ;  and,  though  through  all 
the  ages  one  unceasing  purpose  runs,  it  is  well  to 
.  .  .  remember  how  the  course  of  time  will  swerve. 

Intellect  is  the  simple  power  anterior  to  all  action  or 
construction. — Emerson. 

Every  system  of  education  which  rests  not  upon  re- 
ligion will  fall  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  will 
spread  only  poison  through  the  State. — Le  Maistre. 

If  there  is  one  thing  that  education  must  aim  at  it 
is  the  formation  of  character.  That  missed,  the  educa- 
tion is  a  failure.    To  that  the  training  of  the  intellect 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

is  necessarily  auxiliary  and  subservient.  You  may  daz- 
zle the  mind  with  a  thousand  brilliant  discoveries  of 
natural  science;  you  may  open  new  worlds  of  knowledge 
which  were  never  dreamed  of  before;  yet  if  you  have 
not  developed  in  the  soul  of  the  pupil  strong  habits  of 
virtue  which  will  sustain  him  in  the  struggle  of  life, 
you  have  not  educated  him,  but  only  put  in  his  hand 
a  powerful  instrument  of  self-destruction.  You  have 
made  a  monster  and  not  developed  a  man. — Rev.  T.  J. 
CampheU. 

The  poorest  education  that  teaches  self-control  is  bet- 
ter than  the  best  that  neglects  it. — Sterling. 

Good  sense  is  the  great  master  of  human  life. — Bos- 
suet. 

Common  sense  is  not  a  common  commodity. — Rt. 
Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

It  is  the  mind  that  maketh  good  or  ill,  that  maketh 
wretchedness  or  happiness,  rich  or  poor. 

If  you  would  succeed,  qualify  yourself  by  superfluous 
work  and  study,  that  will  equip  you  not  only  for  doing 
your  particular  line  of  work,  but  for  anything  that  may 
come  in  your  way.  He  had  no  faith  in  genius. — Hon. 
C.  K.  Davis,  U.  S.  Senator. 

Guard  well  thy  thoughts; 

Our  thoughts  are  heard  in  Heaven. 

— Young. 

Laying  the  Foundation. 

"A  youth  thoughtless,"  says  Euskin,  "when  hia  every 
act  is  a  foundation-stone  of  future  conduct,  and  every 
imagination  a  fountain  of  life  or  death?  Be  thought- 
less in  any  other  years  rather  than  now,  though,  indeed, 
there  is  only  one  place  where  a  man  may  be  nobly 
thoughtless — his  death-bed." 

What  thrilling,  noble  words  are  these!  That  lad  is 
idle — does  not  apply  himself  in  school  or  college.  Ah, 
well,  he  is  such  a  precocious  youth,  says  one,  that  he 
can  easily  make  it  up  and  repass  them  with  flying  colors. 
But  what  of  the  habits  that  are  being  formed?  What 
of  the  ideals  lost  sight  of  as  he  seizes  now  at  this  straw 
of  pleasure  and  now  at  that. 

The  need  of  strength  to  carry  out  purposes  should 
never  be  lost  sight  of  in  education.  The  idea  that  a 
child  should  always  yield  to  those  wiser  than  himself 
sometimes  blinds  the  parent  to  the  importance  of  teach- 
ing him  to  think  and  act  for  himself.  But  power  can 
only  be  developed  by  exercise,  and  the  child  who  always 
depends  upon  others,  who  makes  no  decisions,  weighs 

80 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom, 

no  arguments,  carries  out  no  plans,  is  invested  with  no 
responsibility,  can  never  become  a  strong  and  steadfast 
man.  Obedience  is  a  good  and  useful  habit;  it  fosters 
the  power  of  self-restraint  in  one  important  direction; 
but  the  wise  educator  will  never  be  satisfied  until  it  is 
supplemented  by  a  training  in  strength  of  purpose  and 
independent,  forceful  thought,  leading  to  wise  and  per- 
manent self-government. — Sacred  Heart  Union. 

Mr.  Locke  was  asked  how  he  had  contrived  to  ac- 
cumulate a  mine  of  knowledge  so  rich,  yet  so  extensive 
and  so  deep.  He  replied  that  he  attributed  what  little 
he  knew  to  not  having  been  ashamed  to  ask  for  informa- 
tion, and  to  the  rule  he  had  laid  down  of  conversing 
with  all  descriptions  of  men,  on  those  topics  chiefly  that 
formed  their  own  peculiar  professions  or  pursuits.  I 
myself  have  heard  a  common  blacksmith  eloquent  when 
welding  of  iron  had  been  the  theme.  What  we  know 
thoroughly  we  can  usually  express  clearly,  since  ideas 
will  supply  words,  but  words  will  not  always  supply 
ideas,  therefore,  when  I  meet  with  any  that  write  ob- 
scurely, or  converse  confusedly,  I  am  apt  to  suspect  two 
things :  first,  that  such  persons  do  not  understand  them- 
selves; and  second,  that  they  are  not  worthy  of  being  un- 
derstood by  others. 

If  young  people  only  knew  the  value  of  their  youth ! 
A  half  hour  each  day  steadily  given  to  the  vanquishing 
of  some  real  books  in  history,  science,  literature,  is 
three  hours  a  week,  is  more  than  twelve  solid  days,  of 
twenty-four  hours  each,  a  year.  What  can  not  the  busi- 
ness man  accomplish  by  such  seizure  of  fragments  of 
his  time?  Oh,  if  young  people  only  knew  the  culture 
possible  for  them  by  such  simple  means !  And  for 
evermore  it  is  the  man  who  knows  who  gets  to  be  the 
man  who  does,  and  to  whom  the  chance  of  doing  comes. 
Merely  frittering  newspapers  and  novel  reading — a 
youthhood  devoted  only  to  that,  how  pitiably  sad !  No 
ships  drift  into  harbor.  No  young  persons  drift  into  an 
achieving  manhood  or  womanhood. 

Knowledge  is  modest,  cautious  and  pure; 
Ignorance  is  boastful,  conceited  and  sure. 

Man  is  an  eternal  mystery  to  himself;  his  own  per- 
son is  a  house  into  which  he  never  enters,  and  of  which 
he  studies  the  outside  alone.  Each  of  us  need  have  con- 
tinually before  him  the  famous  inscription  which  once 
instructed  Socrates,  and  which  was  engraved  by  an  un- 
known hand  on  the  walls  of  Delphi:  "Know  thyself.^' 
— Emile  Souvestre. 

81 


Books,     Education,      Wisdom, 

In  a  great  mind  everj'thing  is  great. — Pascal. 

Some  men  think  that  the  gratification  of  curiosity  is 
the  end  of  knowledge ;  some  the  love  of  fame ;  some  the 
pleasure  of  dispute;  some  the  necessity  of  supporting 
themselves  by  their  knowledge;  but  the  real  use  of  all 
knowledge  is  this,  that  we  should  dedicate  that  reason 
which  was  given  us  by  God  to  the  use  and  advantage  of 
man. — Lord  Bacon. 

You  will  find  good  in  everything  you  have  learned. 
By  degrees  your  destiny  will  open  before  you.  You 
will  learn  what  you  are  good  for — what  you  are  made 
for.  One  can  say  nothing  more  definite,  and  this  is 
definite  enough,  and  full  of  animation;  do  your  duty, 
and  you  cannot  fail  to  fit  yourself  for  an  honorable 
work. 

The  man  who  can  l(?arn  from  his  own  mistakes  will 
always  be  learning  something. 

The  gossip  in  a  home  decreases  as  the  library  increases. 
Self-reverence,  self-knowledge,  self-control. 
These  three  alone  lead  life  to  sovereign  power. 

— Tennyson. 

All  knowledge,  however  imposing  in  appearance,  is 
but  a  superficial  knowledge,  if  it  be  merely  the  mind's 
furniture,  and  not  the  mind's  nutriment;  it  must  be 
transmuted  into  mind,  as  food  into  blood,  in  order  to 
become  wisdom  and  power.  Many  of  the  generals  op- 
posed to  Napoleon  understood  military  science  as  well 
as  he  did,  but  he  beat  them  on  every  occasion  where 
victory  depended  on  a  wise  movement  made  at  a  mo- 
ment's thought,  because  science  had  been  transfused 
into  his  mind,  while  to  theirs  it  was  only  attached. 

"What  is  the  object  of  education?"  Is  it  to  stunt 
the  frame,  injure  the  physique,  spoil  the  eyes,  exhaust 
the  brain  and  leave  the  victim  a  walking  encyclopedia 
of  hackneyed  facts  and  dead  languages?  Or  is  it  to 
develop  a  healthy,  active  member  of  society,  whose  in- 
tellect is  stored  with  knowledge  useful  in  the  world 
around  him,  and  who  is  ready  to  cope  with  the  aifairs 
and  incidents  of  every  day?  Surely  the  latter  alterna- 
tive should  be  the  goal  of  every  teacher ;  but  the  former 
is,  unfortunately,  too  often  the  result  of  education  as 
practically  carried  out. 

When  you  make  a  mistake,  don't  look  back  at  it  long. 
Take  the  reason  of  the  thing  into  your  own  mind,  and 
then  look  forward.  Mistakes  are  lessons  of  wisdom. 
The  past  cannot  be  changed.  The  future  is  yet  in  your 
power. 


B  0  0  Ic  s  ,     Education,      Wisdom. 

To  cover  human  life  with  beauty,  to  carve  it  into 
nobleness,  requires  thought  as  truly  as  to  cover  canvas 
with  lovely  forms  or  to  make  the  hard,  unwilling  marble 
assume  a  shape  of  majesty  and  grace.  We  all  have  to 
learn  to  do  well.  Right  thoughts  have  very  much  to 
do  with  right  comfort. 

Many  owe  everything  of  their  success  to  education. 
Had  they  not  been  well  started  in  this  way,  their 
mediocre  talents  and  ordinary  application  would  never 
have  lifted  them  up.  Hence  the  wisdom  of  every  man 
giving  his  children  a  good  education. 

In  art  and  in  science  exists  no  distinction, 

As  the  hilt  to  the  sword,  or  the  cord  to  the  bow. 

So  science  and  genius  unite  in  communion, 
Both  facts  to  elicit  and  grace  to  bestow. 

There  is  harmony,  ever  unseen,  unsuspected, 

In  the  forces  of  nature,  the  powers  of  the  mind. 

And  when  by  the  counsel  of  Heaven  directed, 
The  soul  of  the  student  that  union  shall  find. 

Wisdom  is  like  a  well-spring  of  water  in  the  desert 
that  causes  the  grass  to  grow  and  the  flowers  to  bloom 
near  by,  and  satisfies  and  refreshes  the  soul  of  every 
man  that  drinks  from  it. 

More  failures  of  effort  come  from  a  lack  of  concen- 
tration than  from  a  want  of  ability  to  accomplish  the 
things  undertaken. 

A  horse  not  broken  becometh  stubborn;  and  a  child 
left  to  himself  will  become  headstrong. — Ecclesifistes. 

We  have  known  persons  that  were  very  exact  and 
scrupulous  in  their  choice  of  company,  but  very  careless 
in  their  choice  of  reading,  readily  taking  up  and  be- 
coming familiar  with  books  of  whose  authors  they 
would  blush  to  be  called  the  friends.  What  singular 
kind  of  morality  is  this !  Such  persons  avoid  bad  com- 
pany, not  because  of  the  evil  that  is  in  it,  but  for  fear 
of  the  judgment  which  the  world  will  pass  upon  them. 
This  is  a  strange  idea  of  honor.  Whilst  we  close  our 
door  against  a  person  whom  we  despise,  in  secret  we 
allow  him  an  entrance  to  our  conscience,  and  for  hours 
we  are  alone  with  him,  eagerly  accepting  his  ideas  and 
making  them  our  own.  There  are  persons  foolish  enough 
to  be  thus  grossly  inconsistent,  and,  in  spite  of  their 
strict  propriety,  to  live  habitually  in  the  company  of 
degraded,   or  suspected  individuals.     .     .     . 

Be  upon  your  guard.  Man  lives  a  good  deal  in  his 
remembrances.     Memory  is  the  companion  of  his  long 


B  0  0  Ic  s  ,     Education,      Wisdom, 

hours  of  solitude  and  sleeplessness.  Let  this  companion 
be  noble  and  pure.  Do  not  permit  it  to  lower  itself, 
and  to  bring  you  back  only  impressions  that  must  be 
rejected.  Happy  he  whose  memory  has  retained  its 
honor,  its  delicacy,  its  purity. 

In  reading  for  pastime,  seek  for  simplicity,  natural- 
ness; for  what  is  interesting  because  it  is  noble.  I  will 
not  speak  of  bad  books,  whose  only  mission  it  is  to  cor- 
rupt the  mind,  and  to  blot  out  the  boundary  lines  of 
honor.  Reject  even  those  romantic  compositions  where- 
in only  complicated,  forced  and  dramatic  situations,  as 
they  call  them,  are  sought,  and  wherein  the  author 
would  think  he  failed  if  he  consulted  likelihood  and 
good  sense — contemptible  books,  which  do  not  address 
themselves  to  the  soul,  but  to  the  nerves  and  the  blood, 
and  whose  greatest  success  is  to  throw  the  reader  into 
a  fever!  Good,  ennobling  books  in  every  way  worthy 
of  our  perusal,  which  are  amusing  as  well  as  instruc- 
tive, are  not,  thank  God,  either  rare  or  hard  to  find. 
Choose  only  such  as  these.  In  their  company  you  will 
find  real,  intelligent,  cordial  support. 

The  man  who  is  continually  talking  seldom  says  any- 
thing of  importance;  more  than  half  the  time  he  loves 
the  sound  of  his  own  voice,  and  his  remarks  are  super- 
ficial and  valueless.  The  reserved  man,  on  the  con- 
trar}^  finds  it  difficult  to  give  utterance  to  his  thoughts 
which  rush  forward  to  the  portals  of  his  mouth  in  such 
crowds  that  they,  in  fact,  block  it  up.  Whenever  you 
meet  with  a  man  of  this  kind  give  him  time,  do  not 
mistake  his  tardiness  for  ignorance  or  imbecility  of 
mind.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  has  lived  in  solitude, 
and  because  he  has  not  been  inhabituated  to  conversa- 
tion his  tongue  grows  so  rusty  that,  when  he  does  ven- 
ture into  society,  no  one  will  wait  till  he  is  drawn  out, 
and  therefore  his  reserve  continues  to  increase.  Do  not 
contemptuously  turn  your  back  upon  him,  but  listen 
and  he  will,  in  all  likelihood,  repay  your  civility  with 
interest.  The  man  who  talks  but  little  generally  has 
something  to  say  when  he  does  speak,  his  ideas  have  been 
polished  by  the  observation  of  years,  and  sink  forcibly 
into  the  minds  of  his  hearers. 

What  does  a  young  girl  know  of  life  but  what  she 
hears  and  reads  ?  WTites  Maud  Anderson.  I  would  rather 
take  an  innocent  young  creature  through  the  worst  part 
of  New  York  at  midnight  than  to  put  a  bad  book  into 
her  white  hands.  There  is  little  romance  or  allurement 
in  naked  human  vice,  but  vice  clothed  with  a  poet's 
fancy,  beautified  by  the  imagination,  is  another  sort  of 


Boohs,     Education^      Wisdom. 

thing.  There  is  so  much  in  a  girl's  commencing  right 
in  the  things  she  reads.  It  is  often  the  making  or 
marring  of  her  whole  future  life. 

There  are  women  to-day  forty  years  old  still  living 
in  the  pernicious  books  they  read.  They  started  with 
bad  books  in  their  teens.  They  follow  bad  heroines  and 
may,  according  to  their  now  diseased  minds,  find  them- 
selves an  improvement  on  the  creatures  they  imitate. 
They  are,  if  not  actually  vicious,  silly,  unnatural  crea- 
tures w^hom  everybody  ridicules  and  nobody  respects. 
We  know  young  women  who  have  been  acting  out 
French  novels  all  their  days  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
with  the  result  of  dressing  like  guys  when  they  mean 
to  be  artistic,  acting  like  coarse  women  when  they  mean 
to  be  sirens,  and  talking  absurdities  when  they  mean 
to  be  enchanting. 

Books  and  periodicals  are  the  silent  teachers  of  the 
home.  They  enter,  leave  their  influence,  and  give  place 
to  others.  They  come  and  go  in  a  long  procession,  each 
one  entering  into  life's  thought  and  experience,  and 
leaving  its  impress  on  the  character. 

"I  am  a  part  of  all  that  I  have  met." 

A  parent  may  well  ask,  "Who  are  these  silent  guests 
that  visit  my  children?"  for  a  youth's  character  and 
prospects  may  be  as  surely  known  by  the  books  he  reads 
as  by  the  companions  with  whom  he  associates. 

Some  people  think  there  are  no  blessings  in  poverty, 
but  it  is  a  mistake.  The  poor  in  pocket  are  blessed  in 
many  ways;  and  from  the  lowly  in  this  country  have 
sprung  some  of  our  most  brilliant  intellectual  lights, 
as  well  as  the  thousands  of  ingenious  pieces  of  mechan- 
ism. Poverty  compels  the  poor  of  this  country  to  exer- 
cise the  highest  of  their  powers — intellect — and  that 
power  elevates  the  laboring  class  above  that  of  any 
other  nation,  and  is  the  one  great  cause  of  our  national 
prosperity  and  greatness.  Of  late  years  some  of  the 
most  useful  inventions  have  been  made  by  men  who 
labored  at  the  bench  or  lathe,  and  daily  something  is 
invented  which  heightens  labor  and  cheapens  the  cost 
of  living.  And  if  our  mechanics  would  thoroughly  edu- 
cate themselves  for  practical,  every-day  life,  and  spend 
less  of  their  leisure  in  idleness,  or  worse  still,  in  hang- 
ing around  drinking  houses,  studying  the  run  of  a 
greasy  pack  of  cards,  and  becoming  expert  in  euchre,  the 
laboring  population  would  be  better  fitted  to  maintain 
the  proud  position  of  the  most  intelligent  in  the  world, 
art,  science  and  mechanics  make  more  rapid  strides  to 
perfection,  and  reluctant  nature  be  compelled  to  yield 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom- 

more  of  her  hidden  secrets.  It  is  only  by  thorough  edu- 
cation and  a  systematic  course  of  reading  that  human 
perfection  can  be  attained,  and  if  all  were  to  pursue 
this  course  hundreds  of  half-formed  theories  would  be- 
come facts,  and  the  sciences  be  enabled  to  prove  their 
positions  beyond  doubt  or  cavil. 

It  is  wise — nay,  often  absolutely  needful — to  have 
something  for  the  mind  to  feed  upon,  something  to  look 
forward  to  and  live  for,  besides  the  round  of  daily 
labor,  or  the  counting  of  profit  and  loss. 

Thoroughness  and  accuracy  are  two  principal  points 
to  be  aimed  at  in  study.  Francis  Horner,  in  laying 
down  rules  for  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  and  charac- 
ter, placed  great  stress  upon  the  habit  of  continuous 
application  to  one  subject  for  the  sake  of  mastering  it 
thoroughly;  confining  himself,  with  this  object,  to  but 
a  few  books,  and  resisting  with  the  greatest  firmness 
"every  approach  to  desultory  reading."  The  value  of 
knowledge  to  any  man  certainly  consists  not  in  its  quan- 
tity, but  mainly  in  the  good  uses  to  which  he  may  ap- 
ply it.  Hence  a  little  knowledge,  of  an  exact  and  per- 
fect character,  is  always  found  more  valuable  for  prac- 
tical purposes  than  any  extent  of  suj^rficial  learning. 
The  phrase  in  common  use,  as  to  "the  spread  of  knowl- 
edge," is  no  doubt  correct,  but  it  is  spread  so  widely, 
and  in  such  thin  layers  that  it  only  serves  to  reveal  the 
mass  of  ignorance  lying  underneath.  Never,  perhaps, 
were  books  more  extensively  read,  or  less  studied;  nnd 
the  number  is  rapidly  increasing  of  those  who  know 
a  little  of  everything,  but  nothing  well.  Such  reader^ 
have  not  inaptly  been  likened  to  a  certain  sort  of  pocket- 
knife  which  some  people  carry  about  with  them,  which, 
in  addition  to  a  common  knife,  contains  a  file,  a  chisel, 
a  saw,  a  gimlet,  a  screw-driver,  and  a  pair  of  scissors; 
but  all  so  diminutive  that  the  moment  they  are  needed 
for  use,  they  are  found  useless. 

One  of  Ignatius  Loyola's  maxims  was,  "He  who  does 
well  one  work  at  a  time,  does  more  than  all."  By  spread- 
ing our  efforts  over  too  large  a  surface  we  inevitably 
weaken  our  force,  hinder  our  progress,  and  acquire  a 
habit  of  fitfulness  and  ineffective  working.  Whatever 
a  youth  undertakes  to  learn,  he  should  not  be  suffered 
to  leave  it  until  he  can  reach  his  arms  round  it  and 
clench  his  ands  on  the  other  side.  Thus  he  will  learn 
the  habit  of  thoroughness.  Lord  St.  Leonards  once  com- 
municated to  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  the  mode  in  which  he 
had  conducted  his  studies,  and  thus  explained  the  secret 
of  his  success.     "I  resolved,"  said  he,  "when  beginning 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

to  read  law,  to  make  everything  I  acquired  perfectly 
my  own,  and  never  to  go  to  a  second  thing  till  I  had 
entirely  accomplished  the  first.  Many  of  my  competi- 
tors read  as  much  in  a  day  as  I  read  in  a  week;  but,  at 
the  end  of  twelve  months,  my  knowledge  was  as  fresh 
as  the  day  it  was  acquired,  while  theirs  had  glided  away 
from  recollection." 

Poetry  reveals  to  us  the  loveliness  of  Nature,  brings 
back  the  freshness  of  youthful  feeling,  revives  the  relish 
of  simple  pleasures,  keeps  unquenched  the  enthusiasm 
which  warmed  the  spring-time    of    our    being,  refines 
youthful  love,  strengthens  our  interest  in  human  nature 
by  vivid  delineations  of  its  tenderest  and  loftiest  feel- 
ings and  through  the  brightness  of  its  prophetic  visions 
helps  faith  to  lay  hold  on  the  future  life. — Channing. 
Perfect  thyself — that  is  thy  mission  here; 
In  stern  self-culture  let  thy  life  be  spent 
In  earnest  labor  and  development 
Of  thy  souFs  fitness  for  the  higher  sphere. 
Grow  greater,  wider,  wiser,  year  by  year — 
Wiser  and  wider  both  in  heart  and  brain. 
Subvert  to  noble  uses  grief  and  pain, 
And  banish  doubt,  despondency,  and  fear. 
Live  thou  for  Truth ;  take  her  to  be  thy  guide, 
Thy  souFs  ideal — and  thy  spirit's  bride — 
Thy  goal  of  hope,  thy  heart's  best  loved  most  dear. 
So  shape  each  hour  that  thou  may'st  ever  say, 
I  am  a  little  further  on  my  way, 
A  little  nearer  her  than  I  was  yesterday. 
Great  thoughts  belong  only  and  truly  to  him  whose 
mind  can  hold  them.     No  matter  who  first  puts  them 
in  words,  if  they  come  to  a  soul  and  fill  it,  they  belong 
to  it,  whether  they  floated  on  the  voices  of  others,  or  on 
the  wings  of  silence  and  the  night. 

Next  to  acquiring  good  friends,  the  best  acquisition 
is  that  of  good  books. — Colton. 

If  we  and  our  posterity  reject  religious  instruction 
and  authority,  violate  the  rules  of  eternal  justice,  trifle 
with  the  injunctions  of  morality,  and  recklessly  destroy 
the  political  constitution  which  holds  us  together,  no 
man  can  tell  how  sudden  a  catastrophe  may  overwhelm 
us,  that  shall  bury  all  our  glory  in  profound  obscurity. 
Should  that  catastrophe  happen,  let  it  have  no  history ! 
Let  the  horrible  narrative  never  be  written.  Let  its 
fate  be  that  of  the  lost  books  of  Livy,  which  no  human 
eye  shall  ever  read;  or  the  missing  Pleiad,  of  which  no 
man  can  ever  know  more,  than  that  it  is  lost,  and  lost 
forever. — Daniel  Webster. 

87 


Boohs,     Education,      W  i  s  d 


0  m 


Knowledge  unused  for  the  good  of  others  is  more  vain 
than  unused  gold. 

Think  much,  speak  little,  write  with  care. 

"It  is  easy  to  procure  and  read  the  opinions  of  others 
on  great  books/'  says  Bishop  Spalding.  "Thousands  of 
volumes  have  been  wTitten  on  Shakespeare,  but  it  is  bet- 
ter to  learn  one  great  book  than  to  read  thousands.  Give 
me  a  man  who  has  really  mastered  one  great  book. 
Fear  the  man  of  one  book.  To  know  a  book  of  the 
greatest  kind  you  must  read  it  over  hundreds  of  times. 
Read  for  yourself  and  make  opinions  yourself.  Learn 
to  love  what  you  find  profitable;  what  we  don't  lik(3 
does  not  profit  us.  We  find  in  books  inspiration  for 
self-activity.  In  proportion  as  a  man  rises  out  of  him- 
self and  out  of  the  present  he  becomes  more  manly.  We 
must  rise  above  the  childish  ideas  and  trivialities  of  life 
in  order  that  God's  image  may  be  brought  out  in  us." 

Experience  is  the  best  teacher,  but  the  school  fees  are 
heavy. 

The  National  Shortcomings. 

In  a  remarkable  address  delivered  at  Stanford  Uni- 
versity, California,  Whitelaw  Reid  said:  "What  de- 
fects of  human  character  does  a  republic  tend  to  de- 
velop that  the  higher  education  should  correct  ?"  Well, 
our  critics,  foreign  and  domestic,  are  free-spoken  enough 
to  leave  us  little  difficulty  in  finding  answers  to  that. 
We  are  conceited  beyond  endurance.  We  brag  like  Bom- 
bastes.  We  are  slow  to  believe  that  other  people  can 
teach  us  anything.  We  have  the  provincial  idea  that  be- 
cause we  are  conspicuously  ahead  in  some  things,  we 
are  ahead  in  everything.  We  reach  a  conclusion  with- 
out seeing  a  subject  on  all  sides,  and  are  intolerant  of 
a  diversity  of  opinion.  We  value  things  simply  because 
of  their  bigness.  We  live  in  a  whirl  of  money-making, 
or  amusement,  or  excitement  of  some  kind;  we  rarely 
take  time  to  think  of  other  things,  and  because  we  are 
too  busy  for  it  ourselves,  we  let  the  newspapers  make 
up  our  minds  for  us.  When  acting  collectively  we  are 
liable  to  go  off  at  half-cock,  and  are  swept  by  sudden 
waves  of  popular  excitement,  like  the  French.  We  do 
so  many  things  in  a  hurry  that  we  often  fail  to  do  them 
thoroughly.  We  come  to  think  that  pretty  well  is  near 
enough ;  that  veneer  is  better  than  solid  mahogany,  look- 
ing just  as  well  and  costing  far  less;  that  a  chromo  is 
as  good  as  an  oil  painting  from  w^hich  a  casual  glance 
does  not  distinguish  it ;  that  a  machine-made  American 
carpet  is  as  good  as  the  rug  from  the  looms  of  India ; 


Boohs,      Education,      W  i  s  d  o  vj^ . 

always  the  thing  that  has  been  done  wholesale  by  ma- 
chinery just  as  good  for  practical  people  as  the  thing 
patiently  wrought  on  every  line  to  individual  beauty  by 
a  trained  and  beauty-loving  intelligence. 

The  Corrective. 

Does  not  the  very  quality  of  its  defects  and  the  nature 
of  its  dangers  compel  the  answer  that  what  the  republic 
thus  needs  is  not  merely  or  mostly  knowledge?  No 
doubt  it  must  always  strive  for  an  education  that  will 
place  the  experience  of  the  world  in  all  ages  at  its  ser- 
vice. But  beyond  and  far  above  that  must  be  its  de- 
velopment of  the  disposition  for  reflection,  the  power 
to  consider  dispassionately,  the  capacity  to  reason  ac- 
curately, and  then  to  reach  just  judgments  on  these  ac- 
quired facts.  ...  I  plead,  then,  for  a  system  of 
education  that  would  put  the  most  into  one's  life,  rather 
than  for  that  which  enables  one  to  quickest  begin  life 
and  earn  a  living.  The  plea  for  the  former  involves 
no  disparagement  of  the  latter.  ...  To  make  a 
life  full,  rounded,  with  balanced  character  and  serenity 
of  judgment,  with  trained  capacities  for  the  highest 
work,  the  highest  appreciation,  the  fullest  and  purest 
enjoyment,  that  is  a  greater  thing  than  to  make  a  liv- 
ing !  Unless  these  observations  have  wholly  missed  their 
purpose  they  must  now  have  led  your  minds  at  least 
to  consider,  if  not  to  accept,  two  propositions,  which 
seem  to  me  to  sum  up  the  next  advances  for  American 
colleges  and  universities.  They  need  now  to  give  more 
attention  to  the  individual  pupil,  and  they  need  to  lead 
him  on  paths  to  the  best  learning  for  the  best  life, 
rather  than  merely  for  quickest  business  or  professional 
success.  The  first  proposition  does  not  point  to  big 
colleges;  the  second  does  not  point  to  university  devel- 
ment  exclusively  on  the  lines  thus  far  in  most  favor. 
Bigger  colleges  must  mean  less  individual  influence  on 
the  eager,  immature  mind;  the  specialization  most  in 
favor  in  our  universities  is  that  which  leads  to  w^ays  to 
make  a  living,  and  while  no  one  wants  less  of  that  the 
highest  education  must  give  more  of  something  else. 

Its  Application. 

The  opportunity  for  differentiation  and  specialization 
in  educational  effort  would  be  greater  than  ever,  but  it 
would  be  put  where  it  belongs;  not  with  the  youth  in 
his  plastic,  uncertain  formative  period,  but  with  the 
trained  young  man,  competent  to  select  and  eager  to 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

pursue.  Thus  when  the  graduate  passed  from  the  col- 
lege, whether  he  devoted  himself  to  the  highest  learn- 
ing or  sought  at  once  a  training  in  applied  science  or  in 
a  profession,  he  would,  at  any  rate,  carry  into  the  uni- 
versity a  mind  fit  for  the  work  it  demands.  To  borrow 
the  happy  illustration  of  President  Stryker  of  Hamil- 
ton, the  college  would  have  made  the  intellectual  iron 
that  came  to  it  into  steel;  and  therefore  the  university 
would  not  be  wasting  its  time  in  trying  to  put  a  fine 
edge  upon  potmetal.  The  lecturer  then  dwelt  on  the 
advantages  of  the  old  college  training  in  the  humanities, 
philosoph}^,  mathematics  and  science,  as  a  preparation 
for  advanced  education,  and  continued:  This  colles^i- 
ate  course  was  the  best  basis  for  the  higher  learning  the 
best  systems  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries 
had  to  offer.  It  is  the  best  basis  still,  as  we  turn  to  the 
wider  and  better  attainments  the  twentieth  century  has 
to  offer.  It  has  formed  for  the.  generations  of  our  race 
the  badge  of  the  best  title  any  of  the  race  have  ever 
worn  in  any  land  zv  can  wear,  the  proud  title  of  scholar 
and  gentleman. 

At  a  dinner  that  Mr.  C.  P.  Huntington  gave  to 
some  railroad  men  in  San  Francisco,  he  told  his 
guests  that  he  feared  too  many  of  the  young  men  of 
the  country  were  spending  too  much  time  in  school.  He 
spoke  with  concern  of  young  men  with  college  educa- 
tions who  were  standing  around  waiting  for  something 
that  will  never  come  because  the  work  nearest  to  hand 
was  not  to  their  liking. 

The  modern  college  graduate  is  usually  a  modest 
creature  with  a  few  illusions  about  what  he  is  fit  for, 
and  very  little  inclined  to  stand  waiting  for  suitable  em- 
ployment to  seek  him  out.  He  has  to  jump  in  and 
find  a  job,  and  usually  he  loses  no  time  in  doing  so. 
It  is  true,  as  Mr.  Huntington  says,  that  the  years  be- 
tween fifteen  and  twenty-one  are  of  great  value.  They 
should  not  be  wasted.  But  while  there  is  danger  that 
lads  who  spend  these  years  in  college  may  find  them- 
selves somewhat  behind  when  they  start  as  new  gradu- 
ates to  make  their  living,  there  is  a  counter  risk  that 
the  lad  who  devotes  himself  to  business  too  early  may 
become  too  soon  a  specialist  in  a  limited  field,  and  may 
know  a  particular  kind  of  business  and  very  little  be- 
sides. It  is  hard  at  first  for  a  young  college  graduate 
who  finds  employment  in  business  to  make  up  for  the 
lack  of  the  business  training  which  he  might  have  ac- 

90 


Books,      Education,      Wisdom. 

quired  in  the  years  he  spent  at  college.  That  it  is  not 
too  hard,  however,  is  shown  by  the  number  of  college- 
bred  men  who  succeed  in  almost  every  calling. 

What  is  vastly  more  difficult  is  for  the  successful  man 
of  business,  who  went  early  into  business  and  kept  at  it, 
to  make  up  for  the  five  or  six  years  he  didn't  spend  in 
acquiring  general  education  while  he  was  still  young. 
Able  men  of  limited  education  who  have  succeeded  in 
business  commonly  miss  the  education  and  the  associa- 
tions which  they  didn't  ^et  while  they  were  young,  and 
try  to  make  sure  that  their  sons  acquire  them.  They 
know  that  they  are  valuable.  As  for  themselves,  they 
do  well  to  stick  to  business,  for  to  be  eminently  success- 
ful at  money-making  is  one  of  the  few  employments  in 
which  a  rich  man  of  limited  education  can  hope  to  find 
entertainment.  The  degree  of  commercial  success  which 
will  be  fairly  satisfactory  to  an  educated  man  does  not 
open  to  a  less  educated  man  the  same  opportunities  of 
enjoyment.  It  is  one  of  the  great  advantages  of  educa- 
tion that  by  bringing  a  lot  of  cheap,  durable  intellectual 
pleasures  within  its  possessor's  reach  it  relieves  him  of 
the  need  of  becoming  excessively  rich.  It  also  helps  his 
social  standing,  and  social  position  is  a  thing  that  is 
valued,  and  which  often  proves  very  expensive  to  per- 
sons who  have  to  buy  an  outfit  of  it  late  in  life  for 
cash. 

Dollars  are  comparatively  scarce  in  the  world,  and 
w^hile  there  is  enough  of  them  to  go  around  after  a 
fashion,  there  is  not  enough  to  give  to  each  person  any- 
thing like  as  many  as  he  wants.  But  satisfaction  is 
pretty  scarce  also,  and  is  at  least  as  hard  to  secure  as 
dollars.  If  the  years  spent  in  pursuit  of  education  in- 
crease the  farmer's  chances  of  getting  satisfaction  out 
of  life,  they  are  profitably  spent,  even  though  they  leave 
him  somewhat  behind  in  the  race  for  dollars.  For  dol- 
lars and  contentment  are  not  synonymous  terms,  and 
the  man  who  can  combine  few  dollars  with  intelligent 
contentment  is  obviously  better  off  than  the  man  who, 
having  more  dollars  than  he  can  use,  finds  that  th^  only 
employment  which  is  really  congenial  to  him  is  ac-' 
cumulating  more.  It  is  more  profitable  to  spend  some 
time  in  youth  in  cramming  the  mind  with  knowledge 
not  immediately  useful,  than  to  be  compelled  for  lack 
of  other  resources  to  spend  one's  old  age  cramming  one's 
pockets  with  money  that  one  does  not  want. 

The  day  that  presents  no  opportunity  to  improve 
one's  self  or  benefit  another  is  a  black-letter  day. 

91 


Books,     Education,      Wisdom. 

What  the  student  sows  in  tears  he  reaps  in  joy.  For 
years  he  lives  in  bondage,  in  strange  countries,  wanders 
amid  deserts,  is  straitened  and  bewildered,  encompassed 
by  difficulties  and  doubts,  has  little  more  than  faith 
and  hope  to  guide  and  cheer  him;  but,  at  length,  he 
enters  the  promised  land  and  in  the  high  and  serene 
world,  which  is  now  his  own,  his  hardships  and  suffer- 
ings grow  sweet  in  memory. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

The  thinker  is  one  who  strives  to  awaken  himself 
from  the  dream  of  life,  in  which  the  multitude  pass 
their  existence. — Ibid. 

The  mind  grows  shallow  when  occupied  perpetually 
with  trivialities.  A  course  of  solid  reading  is  a  good 
tonic.  When  ignorant  of  our  ignorance  we  do  not  know 
when  we  betray  ourselves. 

One  pound  of  learning  requires  ten  pounds  of  com- 
mon sense  to  apply  it. — Persian. 

The  condition  of  progress  is  that  as  we  advance,  the 
still  greater  effort  must  we  make  to  go  farther. — Rt. 
Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

No  man  ever  made  an  ill  figure  who  understood  his 
own  talents,  nor  a  good  one  who  mistook  them. 

Young  men  do  not  fail  in  pursuits  in  life  because 
they  lack  ability  to  succeed  half  as  often  as  from  the 
neglect  to  study  the  real  caliber  of  their  minds.  A  mod- 
erate capacity,  industriously  directed,  will  accomplish 
much  more  than  a  wrong  application  of  the  most  bril- 
liant qualifications.  Study,  therefore,  yourselves.  Aim 
to  find  out  the  actual  talents  you  possess,  and  endeavor 
to  make  the  best  use  of  them,  and  you  can  hardly  come 
short  of  making  a  good  figure  in  the  world;  and  what 
is  more,  being  amongst  those  who  live  not  in  vain. — 
Swift. 

It  is  a  significant  commentary  on  the  truth  that  the 
real  goods  of  life  are  not  moneys,  lands,  revenues,  but 
the  fruits  of  the  mind  and  heart — education  and  re- 
ligion. Who  knows  or  who  cares,  except  some  dustman 
or  scavenger  of  history  about  the  rich  bankers  of  Augs- 
burg, the  wool  merchants  of  Florence,  or  the  public  car- 
riers of  Venice?  With  their  wealth  they  wrote  a  line 
upon  the  sands  of  time  that  the  next  wave  obliterated. 
But  the  names  of  the  great  artists  shine  forever  in  their 
masterpieces  and  echo  forever  above  the  great  procession 
of  humanity. — Rev.  TJiomas  J.  Shahan. 

Is  our  educational  machinery  subsidiary  to  its  only 
worthy  end,  viz.,  the  fashioning  of  character?  Have 
we,  so  morbidly  afraid  of  uniting  church  and  state, 
gone  so  far  as  to  disunite  God  from  the  state?     This 

98 


B  0  0  h  s  ^    -Education,      Wisdom. 

is  a  most  serious  question.  The  faith  of  our  sons  and 
daughters  is  involved,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  in  this 
country  is  involved.  Our  school  system  is  not  an  or- 
ganized skepticism,  but  a  God-forgotten  secularism. — 
Rev.  Henry  C.  Minton  of  California  (Presbyterian), 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  May  19,  1901. 

Moral  training  has  for  the  most  part  been  cast  out 
of  our  public  schools.  Every  faculty,  except  the  highest 
and  noblest,  is  exercised  and  invigorated ;  but  the  crown- 
ing faculty — that  which  is  designed  to  animate  and  gov- 
ern all  others — is  contemptuously  ignored;  and,  unless 
its  education  can  be  secured,  our  young  men  and  women 
will  be  graduated  from  our  schools  as  moral  imbeciles. 
This  country  is  facing  a  grave  social  problem. — Rev. 
Dr.  E.  T.  Wolf,  Professor  at  Gettysburg  Theological 
Seminary,  before  the  Evangelical  Alliance. 

Every  inanimate  creature  does  the  will  of  its  Creator ; 
all  creatures  assist  us  in  meriting  the  possession  of  God ; 
man  alone,  the  most  gifted  in  choice  and  in  will,  is  apt 
to  pervert  his  nature  and  wander  fartherest  from  the 
path  his  Creator  laid  out  for  him — hence  education  is 
a  corrective  power  and  is  designed  to  acquaint  man  fully 
with  the  principles  that  are  to  supplement  his  faculties 
and  to  co-ordinate  the  great  fact  of  his  being  created 
an  intelligent  and  discerning  being.  Instinct  circum- 
scribes intelligence  in  lower  animals  and  is  constrained 
by  circumstance,  but  man's  animal  nature  submits  to 
his  will,  and  his  will  acts  in  obedience  to  his  moral 
sense.  So  the  education  for  man  is  the  one  that  deals 
with  religion  as  well  as  with  comprehensive  knowledge 
and  the  highest  mental  culture. 

Learn  as  if  you  were  to  live  always;  live  as  if  you 
were  to  die  to-morrow. 

Excessive  newspaper  reading  is  a  sure  destroyer  of 
mental  health.  Its  effect  is  to  corrupt  the  judgment, 
to  weaken  the  sense  of  mental  discrimination,  to  dis- 
courage intellectual  initiative,  and  generally  to  deaden 
the  mental  powers  by  substituting  a  habit  of  mechanical 
for  a  habit  of  intelligent  reading.  A  very  little  yielding 
to  this  disposition  will  produce  even  in  cultivated  men 
a  habit  which  may  almost  be  said  to  be  worse  from  an 
intellectual  point  of  view  than  the  habit  of  not  think- 
ing at  all. — Saturday  Review. 

Wisdom  does  not  show  itself  so  much  in  precept  as  in 
life — in  a  firmness  of  mind  and  mastery  of  appetite. 
It  teaches  us  to  do,  as  well  as  to  talk ;  and  to  make  our 
actions  and  words  all  of  a  color. — Seneca. 

93 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom, 

It  is  less  painful  to  learn  in  youth  than  to  be  igno- 
rant in  age. 

Culture  must  make  us  more  virtuous,  or  it  is  not 
culture. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Let  the  young  be  taught  to  believe  in  the  best  thing.-^ 
— in  courage,  magnanimity,  truthfulness,  chastity,  and 
love;  for  so  long  as  experience  has  not  revealed  their 
supreme  worth,  through  faith  alone  can  their  value  be- 
come known  to  them. — Ihid. 

By  speaking  as  we  think,  we  learn  to  think  what  we 
speak. — Ihid. 

They  who  would  rise  must  learn  to  stoop,  as  climbers 
have  to  bend. — Ihid. ' 

Genius  is  originality.  Talent  the  fruit  of  industry. 
Genius  of  birth.  The  one  judges,  combines,  arranges, 
composes.  The  other  creates.  A  man  of  talent  may  be 
a  good  historian,  a  commentator,  a  grammarian;  only 
a  man  of  genius  can  be  a  poet,  painter  or  statuary. — 
Burr. 

Poverty  and  shame  shall  be  to  him  that  refuseth  in- 
struction. 

It  is  the  part  of  science  to  take  things  as  it  finds  them, 
and  to  explain,  but  not  to  explain  away  nature. 

Common  sense  in  an  uncommon  degree  is  what  the 
world  calls  wisdom. — Coleridge. 

'Tis  with  our  judgments  as  our  watches;  none  go 
just  alike,  yet  each  believes  his  own. — Pope. 

To  read  without  reflecting  is  like  eating  without  di- 
gesting.— Burke. 

To  be  conscious  that  you  are  ignorant  is  a  great  help 
to  knowledge. — Disraeli. 

Religion  is  the  perfection  of  wisdom,  practice,  the  best 
instructor;  thanksgiving,  the  sweetest  recreation. 

The  death  of  President  McKinley  has  set  people  to 
thinking  as  to  the  insidious  influences  that  may  have 
operated  on  the  mind  of  the  wretched  and  pitiable  as- 
sasin,  little  more  than  a  perverted  boy;  and,  as  a  con- 
sequence, a  healthy  reaction  has  set  in  against  the  sensa- 
tional newspaper.  It  will  be  well  if  this  shall  extend  to 
all  newspapers  of  the  class.  But  it  will  be  best  if  the 
country  can  be  aroused  to  substitute  for  them  decent 
newspapers,  magazines  and  books,  and  particularly  to 
study  carefully  the  kind  of  reading  which  goes  to  the 
formation  of  the  character  of  children.— T/ie  Century 
Magazine. 

Gladstone  said  that  a  man  educated  intellectually  but 
not  morally  may  become  more  dangerous  than  before; 
and  that  is  precisely  the  case  with  the  colored  people. 

94 


Books,     Education,      Wisdom. 

In  the  public  schools  they  receive  no  moral  instruction, 
and  while  their  wits  are  being  sharpened,  there  is 
scarcely  any  moral  strengthening.  This  inability  of  the 
public  schools  of  our  land  to  teach  any  system  of  morals 
is  going  to  lead,  within  a  few  years,  to  a  struggle  the 
like  of  which  this  country  has  never  seen,  and  it  will  be 
with  a  generation  that  believes  nothing  at  all. — Bishop 
Johnston  (Episcopal),  of  Western  Texas. 

We  can  in  no  way  revive  the  judgment  of  Solomon 
on  the  child,  and  divide  him  by  an  unreasonable  and 
cruel  blow  of  the  sword,  separating  his  understanding 
from  his  will.  While  cultivating  the  first  it  is  neces- 
sary to  direct  the  second  in  the  acquirement  of  virtuous 
habits  and  to  his  last  end.  He  who,  in  the  edacation  of 
youth,  neglects  the  will  and  concentrates  all  his  ener- 
gies on  the  culture  of  the  intellect,  succeeds  in  turning 
education  into  a  dangerous  weapon  in  the  hands  of  the 
wdcked.  It  is  the  reasoning  of  the  intellect  that  some- 
times joins  with  the  evil  propensities  of  the  will,  and 
gives  them  a  power  which  baffles  all  resistance. — Leo 
XIII. 

Seeing  much,  suffering  much,  and  studying  much  are 
the  three  pillars  of  learning. — D'Israeli. 

Teach  the  children !  It  is  painting  in  fresco. — Emer- 
son. 

Knowledge  is  proud  that  he  has  learned  so  much; 
Wisdom  is  humble  that  he  knows  no  more. — Cowp&r. 

Knowledge  comes,  but  wisdom  lingers. — Longfellow. 

Conventions  of  educators  are  entitled  to  respect.  They 
are  usually  attended  by  men  of  acknowledged  standing 
— grave  and  erudite  signors  who  draft  programmes  and 
keep  the  school-machine  running.  If  there  be  one  thing 
more  than  another  characteristic  of  these  conventions  it 
is  the  pleasant  strain  of  jubilation  running  through  the 
sessions.  One  hears  it  in  the  papers  read  in  the  ad- 
dresses; it  is  in  the  air,  charming  alike  the  men  of  learn- 
ing and  the  individuals  who  pay  them.  But  then  one 
is  apt  to  find  small  justification  for  the  melody  of  self- 
congratulation  wh.  we  hear  an  educator  who  has  put 
God  out  of  the  schoolroom,  talking  about  the  formation 
of  character.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  do — it  is  the  main 
purpose  of  the  school,  but  it  will  never  be  done  if  the 
youth  are  trained  and  taught  that  money-getting  is  the 
principal  business  in  life  and  led  away  from  contem- 
plation of  the  world  beyond.  This  kind  of  education 
will  form  a  character  that  will  stand  no  strain  because 

95 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom, 

it  rests  on  and  is  supported  by  nothing.  Human  life 
wants  a  stronger  prop  than  sentiment. — Eev.  Geo.  B, 
Northgraves. 

To  rob  one's  self  of  the  means  of  enjoyment  which  ed- 
ucation and  culture  give  has  no  compensation  in  mere 
money — wealth.  No  material  prosperity  can  compare 
with  a  rich  mind.  It  is  a  perpetual  well-spring  of  sat- 
isfaction, of  enjoyment.  It  enables  one  to  bear  up  un- 
der misfortune,  to  be  cheerful  under  discouragement, 
trials,  and  tribulations,  which  overwhelm  a  shallow 
mind  and  an  empty  heart. — Success. 

So  long  as  a  man  thinks,  he  loves  his  life,  finding 
delight  in  the  exercise  of  its  highest  and  most  spiritual 
power;  but  they  who  have  never  learned  to  think  or  who 
have  ceased  to  think,  easily  yield  to  despondency  and 
suffer  themselves  to  drift  almost  without  regret  or 
struggle  into  the  sleep  of  death,  the  diviner  part  of  life 
having  already  perished  within  them. — Ihid. 

A  man  should  hear  a  little  poetry  and  see  a  fine  pic- 
ture every  day  of  his  life,  in  order  that  worldly  cares 
may  not  obliterate  the  sense  of  the  beautiful  which  God 
has  implanted  in  the  human  soul. — Goethe. 

A  man  ought  to  know  that  it  is  not  easy  for  him  to 
have  a  fixed  principle,  if  he  does  not  daily  say  the  same 
things  and  hear  the  same  things,  and  at  the  same  time 
apply  them  to  life. — Epictetus. 

Each  man  has  to  seek  out  his  own  special  aptitude 
for  a  higher  life  in  the  midst  of  the  humble  and  inevi- 
table reality  of  daily  existence.  Than  this  there  can  be 
no  nobler  aim  in  life. — Maeterlinch. 

Antidote  against  criticism :  books,  travel,  society,  soli- 
tude.— Emerson. 

I  sigh  for  the  days  when  I  knew  it  all, 

And  had  all  I  knew  at  the  tip  of  my  tongue ; 

For  I  never  again  shall  know  as  much 
As  I  did  when  I  was  young. 

{A  sigh  upheaved  after  an  interview  with  an  erudite  soph- 
omore. ) 

They  who  live  for  gain  or  pleasure,  and  not  to  make 
themselves  wise  and  worthy,  are  ignoble — Bt.  Bev.  J.  L. 
Spalding. 

He  thought  all  time  lost  which  was  not  devoted  to 
study. — Pliny,  of  his  Uncle. 

Learning,  undigested  by  thought,  is  labor  lost; 
thought,  unassisted  by  learning,  is  perilous. — Confu- 
cius. 

96 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

What  the  superior  man  seeks  is  in  himself;  what  the 
small  man  seeks  is  in  others. — Ihid. 

The  cautious  seldom  err. — Ihid. 

It  is  wise  at  night  to  read,  but  for  a  few  minutes, 
some  book  which  will  compose  and  soothe  the  mind; 
which  will  bring  us  face  to  face  with  the  true  facts  of 
life,  death,  and  eternity;  which  will  make  us  remember 
that  man  doth  not  live  by  bread  alone;  which  will  give 
us,  before  we  sleep,  a  few  thoughts  worthy  of  a  Chris- 
tian man  with  an  immortal  soul  within  him. — Kingsley. 

In  the  discussion  of  education  few  phrases  are  more 
commonly  used  than  that  which  expresses  the  impor- 
tance and  beauty  of  ''ideal  manhood."  Indeed,  this 
may  be  considered  the  aim  and  purpose  of  all  education. 
What  we  should  emphasize  is  that  the  religious  idea,  the 
supernatural  idea,  is  the  essential  element  of  all  true 
manhood. 

Give  me,  0  Lord,  heavenly  wisdom,  that  I  may  learn 
above  all  things  to  seek  Thee,  and  to  find  Thee;  above 
all  things,  to  relish  Thee,  and  to  love  Thee,  and  so  un- 
derstand all  other  things  as  they  are,  according  to  the 
order  of  Thy  wisdom. — Thomas  a  Kempi^. 

Each  reader,  according  to  his  age  and  peculiar  tastes, 
will  find,  whether  his  reading  be  poetry,  philosophy,  his- 
tory, or  biography,  new  thoughts  and  passages  which 
appeal  especially  to  him.  To  make  a  practice  of  mem- 
orizing, in  leisure  moments,  the  most  inspiring  of  such 
passages,  is  one  of  the  surest  means  of  self-improvement. 
— Success. 

Popular  education  has  everywhere  been  largely  secu- 
larized, and  that  process  is  still  going  on.  Sunday 
schools  or  other  secondary  influences  can  scarcely  coun- 
teract the  general  banishment  of  religion  from  the 
training  of  the  child. — New  York  Sun. 

Eight  and  wrong  in  the  affairs  of  conduct  are  not 
matters  of  instinct;  they  have  to  be  learned,  just  as 
really,  in  fact,  as  history  or  handicrafts.  Is  this  knowl- 
edge being  imparted  to  our  children  in  any  efficient  way 
and  by  any  efficient  teachers  ?  Is  the  public  school  do- 
ing it?  Are  fathers  and  mothers  doing  it?  We  are 
compelled  to  say  No  to  these  queries.  .  .  .  The 
truth  is,  we  are  taking  for  granted  a  moral  intelligence 
which  does  not  exist.  We  are  leaning  upon  it,  depend- 
ing upon  it,  trusting  to  it,  and  it  is  not  there. 

Our  whole  machinery  of  education,  from  the  kinder- 
garten up  to  the  university,  is  perilously  weak  at  this 
point.     We  have  multitudes  of  youths  and  grown  men 

97 


Boohs,     Education,      Wisdom. 

and  women  who  have  no  more  intelligent  sense  of  what 
is  right  and  wrong  than  had  so  many  Greeks  of  the 
time  of  Alcibiades. 

The  great  company  of  educators  and  the  whole  Amer- 
ican community  need  to  be  sternly  warned  that  if  mo- 
rality cannot  be  specifically  taught  in  the  public  schools 
without  admitting  religious  dogma,  then  religious  dog- 
ma may  have  to  be  taught  in  them.  For  righteousness 
is  essential  to  a  people's  very  existence.  And  righteous- 
ness does  not  come  by  nature  any  more  than  reading  or 
writing  does.  .  .  .  We  are  within  measureable  dis- 
tance of  the  time  when  society  may  for  its  own  sake  go 
on  its  knees  to  any  factor  which  can  be  warranted  to 
make  education  compatible  with  and  inseparable  from 
morality,  letting  that  factor  do  it  on  its  own  terms  and 
teach  therewith  whatsoever  it  lists. — Brooklyn  (N.  Y.) 
Eagle. 

The  dreadful  calamity  (the  assassination  of  President 
McKinley)  looks  very  much  like  a  visitation  on  us 
of  the  wrath  of  the  Most  High.  We  must  get  back 
to  the  guiding  principles  of  our  forefathers.  There 
were  two  evils  in  our  great  country:  First,  the  sin 
of  slavery — that  we  have  expiated  and  wiped  out; 
then  the  sin  of  intemperance — that  we  can  master  and 
are  mastering.  ...  Is  there,  then,  any  evil  still 
in  the  land  so  widespread  as  to  call  down  the  wrath  of 
God  upon  us?  There  is.  Our  Godless  system  of  edu- 
cation is  a  far  worse  crime  than  slavery  or  intemper- 
ance. I  believe  that  the  United  States  is  suffering  from 
the  wrath  of  God  to-day  because  our  people  have  con- 
sented to  the  banishment  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  daily 
lives  of  our  children.  If  to-day  Christ  were  on  earth 
and  should  enter  almost  any  public  school-house  in  the 
country,  the  teacher,  acting  under  instruction,  would 
show  Him  the  door.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  He  were  to 
enter  any  of  our  private  (parochial)  schools.  He  would 
be  worshiped  by  teacher  and  scholars  on  bended  knee. 
Here  is  our  fault,  here  is  our  sin.  The  question  now  is. 
To  what  extent  can  we  remold  and  remodel  our  educa- 
tional system?  Almost  any  system  is  better  than  the 
present  one.  It  would  be  infinitely  better  to  divide  up 
the  money  received  from  the  school  tax  among  the  vari- 
ous Christian  denominations  and  the  Hebrews  than  to 
continue  the  present  irreligious  system. — Rev.  W.  Mon- 
tague Geer  (Episcopalian),  before  the  Sons  of  the  Rev- 
olution,  in  New  York  City,  just  after  the  death  of  Pres- 
ident McKinley. 


98 


CHAPTEK  VII. 
Purpose,  Work,  Success. 

There  are  no  arts,  no  gymnastics,  no  cosmetics  which 
can  contribute  a  tithe  so  much  to  the  dignity,  the 
strength,  the  ennobling  of  a  man's  looks  as  a  great  pur- 
pose, a  high  determination,  a  noble  principle,  an  un- 
quenchable enthusiasm.  The  soul  that  is  full  of  pure 
and  generous  affections  fashions  the  features  into  its 
own  angelic  likeness,  as  the  rose  by  inherent  impulse 
grows  in  grace  and  blossoms    into    loveliness.     .     .     . 

If  a  man  has  any  brains  at  all,  let  him  hold  on  to  his 
calling,  and  in  the  grand  sweep  of  things  his  turn  will 
come  at  last. — Walter  McCune. 

The  deepest  mysteries  of  life  are  explained,  and  the 
deepest  problems  of  life  are  solved,  not  by  thinking,  but 
by  living.  .  .  .  Genius  can  do  much,  but  even 
genius  falls  short  of  the  actuality  of  a  single  human 
life. — Hamilton  W.  Mahie. 

Let  us  beware  of  losing  our  enthusiasm.  Let  us  ever 
glory  in  something,  and  strive  to  retain  our  admiration 
for  all  that  would  ennoble,  and  our  interest  in  all  that 
would  enrich  and  beautify  our  life.     .     .     . 

Every  great  and  commanding  movement  in  the  annals 
of  the  world  is  the  triumph  of  enthusiasm. — R.  W.  Em- 
erson. 

The  blood  of  man  is  well  shed  for  our  family,  for  our 
friends,  for  our  God,  for  our  country,  for  our  kind ;  the 
rest  is  vanity — the  rest  is  crime. — Edmund  Burke. 

Work  should  not  only  be  accepted  as  our  punishment 
on  account  of  Adam's  transgression,  but  it  is  our  reward 
and  our  strength,  our  pleasure  and  our  glory.     .     .     . 

It  is  only  by  labor  that  thought  can  be  made  healthy, 
and  only  by  thought  that  labor  can  be  made  happy. — 
Ruslcin. 

How  fine,  how  blest  a  thing  is  work ! — Jean  Ingelow, 

99 


Purpose,  Work,  Success 


The  tendency  to  persevere,  to  persist  in  spite  of  hin- 
drances, discouragements  and  impossibilities — it  is  this 
that  in  all  things  distinguishes  the  strong  soul  from  the 
weak. — Carlyle. 

Nature  has  made  occupation  a  necessity  to  us ;  society 
makes  it  a  duty;  habit  may  make  it  a  pleasure. — Ca- 
pelle. 

Any  life  that  is  worth  living  for  must  be  a  struggle, 
a  swimming  not  with,  but  against  the  stream. — Dean 
Stanley. 

What  is  there  that  is  illustrious  that  is  not  also  at- 
tended by  labor? — Cicero. 

Let  us  be  content  in  work 

To  do  the  thing  we  can,  and  not  presume 

To  fret  because  it^s  little. 

— Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 
The  shortest  way  to  do  many  things  is  to  do  only  one 
thing  at  once. — Cecil. 

To  him  nothing  is  possible,  who  is  always  dreaming 
of  his  past  possibilities. — Carlyle. 

There  is  abundance  of  work  in  this  busy  world  for 
every  one  who  has  a  human  heart. — David  Pryde. 

Art  little  ?  Do  thy  little  well,  and  for  thy  comfort  know 
Great  men  can  do  their  greatest  work  no  better  than 
just  so.  —Qoethe. 

Beware  of  giving  way  to  reveries.  Have  always  some 
employment  in  your  hands.  Look  forward  to  the  future 
with  hope. — C.  Kingsley. 

Every  day  sends  to  their  graves  a  number  of  obscure 
men,  who  have  only  remained  in  obscurity  because  their 
timidity  has  prevented  them  from  making  a  first  effort. 
— Sydney  Smith. 

There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Eough-hew  them  how  we  will. 

— Shakespeare. 
A  good  resolution  is  a  fine  starting  point,  but  as  a 
terminus  it  has  no  value. 

Trial  stimulates  growth  in  human  virtues.  Trial  in 
the  form  of  doubt  is  good.  Without  doubt  we  might 
have  mental  lethargy,  but  we  would  never  possess  the 
healthy  vigor  of  scholarship.  Trial  in  the  form  of 
labor  is  good.  Without  having  to  work  we  might  be- 
come good  eaters  and  good  sleepers,  but  we  would  never 
be  strengthened  by  the  virtue  of  industry  and  endurance. 
No  man  should  ever  for  a  moment  entertain  the  thought 
that  his  affliction  is  the  indication  that  God  has  marked 


100 


Purpose,  W  0  r  Ic  ,  Success, 

him  as  a  failure.  Let  such  remember  that  affliction  is 
only  a  signboard  that  points  to  wider  usefulness. — Rev. 
W.  R.  Rogers. 

Whatever  business  you  have,  do  it  the  first  moment 
you  can ;  never  by  halves,  but  finish  it  without  interrup- 
tion, if  possible. — Chesterfield. 

All  true  work  is  sacred ;  in  all  true  work,  were  it  but 
true  hand-labor,  there  is  something  of  divineness. — 
Ccurhjle. 

Confidence  of  success  is  almost  success;  and  obstacles 
often  fall  of  themselves  before  a  determination  to  over- 
come them. — Moir. 

Beauty  is  not  confined  to  youthfulness;  neither  is  it 
the  exclusive  monopoly  of  those  who  are  upon  the  hither 
side  of  middle  age.  There  is  a  slow  but  steady  growing 
beauty,  which  can  come  to  maturity  only  in  old  age.  It 
is  the  fruit  of  noble  hopes  and  purposes ;  it  is  the  result 
of  having  something  to  do,  something  to  live  for,  some- 
thing worthy  of  humanity. —  Fr.  Clark,  S.  J. 

Adversity,  like  wintry  weather,  is  of  use  to  kill  those 
vermin  which  the  summer  of  prosperity  is  apt  to  pro- 
duce and  nourish.  :..,>. 

The  Worke'*'''Wins,      .;...,.  ^ , 

Business  employers  would  vastly  prefer  boys  of  ordi- 
nary natural  ability  and  a  great  deal  of  industry,  than 
boys  of  marked  genius  but  lazy.  It  is  the  worker  who 
wins,  whether  in  business,  in  law,  in  medicine,  in  me- 
chanics, or  on  the  farm.  Success  is  more  than  half  won 
by  him  who  knows  how  to  think  and  act,  and  utilize 
time.  If  the  quality  of  industry  is  shown  in  the  school 
boy,  it  is  one  of  his  strongest  recommendations  for  a 
business  position. 

The  stayer  wins,  whether  the  weapons  be  brawn  or 
brains.  The  best  work  is  done  by  hard  work. — Rt.  Rev, 
J.  L.  Spalding. 

Think  of  rest,  but  work  on.    .    .    . 

All  things  come  to  him.  who  hustles  while  he  waits. 

Labor  is  health.  It  develops,  strengthens  and  con- 
tents the  toiler,  while  it  sweetens  life. — Bonn  Piatt. 

The  truest  help  we  can  render  to  an  afflicted  man  is 
not  to  take  his  burden  from  him.  but  to  call  out  his  best 
strength,  that  he  may  be  able  to  bear  the  burden. — 
Phillips  Broolcs. 

Count  not  that  labor  evil  which  helps  to  bring  out 
the  best  elements  of  human  nature. — George  Macdonald, 

101 


Purpose,  Work,  Success, 

Labor  is  life !  'Tis  the  still  water  f aileth ; 

Idleness  ever  despaireth,  bewaileth. 

Keep  the  watch  wound,  for  the  dark  rust  assaileth; 

Flowers  droop  and  die  in  the  stillness  of  noon. 
Labor  is  glory !  the  flying  cloud  lightens, 
Only  the  waving  wing  changes  and  brightens; 
Idle  hearts  only  the  dark  future  frightens; 

Play  the  sweet  keys  wouldst  thou  keep  them  in  tune ! 

Labor  is  rest  from  the  sorrows  that  greet  us, 

Rest  from  the  crime  and  the  dangers  that  meet  us, 

Eest  from  sin-promptings,  that  ever  entreat  us; 

Rest  from  world-sirens  that  lure  us  to  ill. 
Work,  and  pure  slumbers  shall  wait  on  thy  pillow; 
Work,  thou  shall  ride  over  Evil's  dark  billow; 
Lie  not  down  wearied  'neath  Woe's  weeping  willow! 

Work  with  a  stout  heart  and  resolute  will ! 

— Frances  Sargent  Osgood. 

The  real  work  of  life,  lament  as  we  will,  complain 
as  we  may,  must  be  done,  not  upon  the  mountain,  but 
in  the  valleys.     .    .    . 

A  great  amount  -of  opposition  is  a  great  help  to  a 
man :  it  is  what  he  Wants  and  must  have  to  be  good  for 
anything.  Hardship  and  opposition  are  the  native  soil 
of  nianhoDd  and  self-  reliance. — John  Neal. 

The  talent  of  success  is  doing  nothing  more  than 
what  you  can  do  well  without  a  thought  of  fame. — 
Longfellow. 

It  is  no  man's  business  whether  he  has  genius  or  not : 
work  he  must,  whatever  he  is,  but  quietly  and  steadily ; 
and  the  natural  and  unforced  results  of  such  work  will 
always  be  the  things  that  God  meant  him  to  do.  and 
will  be  his  best. — Rushin. 

Better  to  stem  with  heart  and  hand 
The  roaring  tide  of  life,  than  lie 
Unmindful,  on  its  flowery  strand. 
Of  God's  occasions  drifting  by. 

— Whittier. 

If  you  wish  success  in  life,  make  perseverance  your 
bosom  friend,  experience  your  wise  counselor,  caution 
your  elder  brother,  and  hope  your  guardian  genius. — 
Addison. 

Do  not  depend  upon  hope  in  undertaking  an  enter- 
prise, nor  upon  success  for  persevering  in  it. — Prince 
Taieh-Bey. 

Run  if  you  like,  but  try  to  keep  your  breath ; 
Work  like  a  man,  but  don't  be  worked  to  death. 

—0.  W.  Holmes. 

m 


Purpose,  Work,  Success, 

The  test  of  a  man^s  strength  and  worth  is  not  so  much 
what  he  accomplishes,  but  what  he  overcomes. — Rt.  Rev. 
J.  L.  Spalding. 

Life  is  old  only  to  those  who  live  in  its  conventions 
and  formulas ;  the  soil  is  exhausted  only  for  those  whose 
plowshare  turns  the  shallow  furrow.  To  all  others 
it  is  still  fresh  with  undiscovered  truth,  still  inexhaust- 
ible in  the  wealth  with  which  the  Infinite  Mind  has 
stored  it,  as  the  Infinite  Hand  has  filled  the  veins  with 
gold  and  its  moutains  with  iron, — Hamilton  W.  Mabie. 

At  no  time  is  the  protection  of  angels  and  the  help 
of  God  more  near  to  us  than  when  "the  blast  of  the 
Mighty  like  a  whirlwind  beat  against  the  wall." — Car- 
dinal Manning. 

Failures  are  with  heroic  minds  tlie  stepping-stones 
to  success. — Balihurton. 

Work — for  some  good,  be  it  ever  so  slowly; 
Cherish  some  flower,  be  it  ever  so  lowly; 
Labor!  all  labor  is  noble  and  holy; 
Let  all  thy  deeds  be  thy  prayer  to  thy  God! 

— Franc  PS  S.  Osgood. 

Our  grand  business  in  life  is  not  to  see  what  lies 
dimly  at  a  distance,  but  to  do  what  lies  clearly  at  hand. 
— Carlyle. 

Not  what  I  have,  but  what  I  do,  is  my  kingdom. — 
Carlyle. 

He  that  would  relish  success  to  purpose  should  keep 
his  passion  cool,  and  his  expectation  low. — Collier. 

But  still  with  honest  purpose  toil  we  on; 

And  if  our  steps  be  upright,  straight  and  true. 
Far  in  the  east  a  golden  light  shall  dawn. 

And  the  bright  smile  of  God  come  bursting  through. 

— Will  Carleton. 

Stand  upright !  speak  thy  thoughts !  declare 
The  truth  thou  hast,  that  all  may  share ! 
Be  bold !  proclaim  it  everywhere ! 
They  only  live,  who  dare! 

— Lewis  Morris. 

When  people  complain  of  life,  it  is  almost  always  be- 
cause they  have  asked  impossible  things  from  it. — 
Renan. 

No  man  is  born  into  the  world,  whose  work 
Is  not  born  with  him.     There  is  always  work 
And  tools  to  work  withal,  for  those  who  will. 
And  blessed  are  the  horny  hands  of  toil. 

— Lowell. 

103 


Purpose,  W  0  T  h  ,  Success, 

Thy  purpose  firm  is  equal  to  the  deed ; 
Who  does  the  best  his  circumstance  allows, 
Does  well,  acts  nobly;  angels  could  do  no  more. 

— Young. 

Luck  is  ever  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up.  Labor, 
with  keen  eyes  and  strong  will,  will  turn  up  something. 
Luck  lies  in  bed  and  wishes  the  postman  would  bring 
him  the  news  of  a  legacy.  Labor  turns  out  at  six  o^clock 
and,  with  busy  pen  or  ringing  hammer,  lays  the  founda- 
tion of  a  competence.  Luck  whines.  Labor  whistles. 
Luck  relies  on  chance.     Labor  on  character. — Cohden. 

Give  us  strength  and  we  can  wrestle  with  poverty; 
give  us  strength  and  we  can  carry  our  burdens  and  bear 
our  troubles;  give  us  strength  and  we  can  overcome  sin 
and  the  evil  passions  and  inclinations  of  our  hearts; 
give  us  strength  and  we  can  pluck  the  sting  from  death 
and  open  the  gates  of  Paradise.  We  need  nothing  quite 
so  earnestly  as  we  need  strength. 

Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your  breast  that  little  spark  of 
celestial  fire  called  Conscience. — George   Washington. 

Young  people  tell  what  they  are  doing,  old  people 
what  they  have  done,  fools  what  they  intend  to  do. — 
French  Proverb. 

It  is  better  to  aim  high  and  often  come  short  of  the 
mark,  than  it  is  to  aim  at  nothing  and  hit  it  every  time. 

"The  world  is  wide,  remember  this. 

Nor  shrink  from  fate's  deep  furrowed  frown. 
Woo  fortune  with  your  brightest  smiles, — 
Don't  let  the  world  know  when  you're  down. 

"It  spoils  your  chance  for  future  deeds ! 

To  frame  your  face  with  dull  care's  crown; 
Brace  up  and  higher  hold  your  head, — 

Don't  let  the  world  know  when  you're  down.'^ 

"Keep  pushing !  'tis  wiser  than  sitting  aside, 
And  sighing  and  watching  and  waiting  the  tide; 
In  life's  earnest  battle  they  only  prevail, 
Who  daily  march  onward  and  never  say  fail." 
The  measure  of  the  value  of  opportunity  is  its  in- 
fluence on  religious  and  moral  life.    We  are  athirst  for 
God  and  finding  Him  not  we  harden  to  mere  material- 
ists or  sink  into  lethargy  or  drown  consciousness  in  the 
sloughs  of  sensuality.       In  the  end     each  one  has  but 
himself  and  if  God  be  not  in  that  self  he  is  poor  and 
wretched  though  he  possess  a  universe,  for  with  a  few 
spadefuls  of  earth  on  his  head  it  will  all  be  over  for- 
ever. 

104 


Purpose,  W  0  r  Ic  ,  Success. 

The  followers  of  the  Divine  Master  best  know  that 
true  men  need  not  great  opportunities. 

It  is  only  when  we  walk  in  the  Spirit  and  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  Son  of  God,  that  we  come  to  under- 
stand that  life  is  opportunity,  rich  as  earth,  high  as 
heaven,  deep  as  the  soul. 

After  long  years,  work  is  visible.  In  agriculture,  you 
cannot  see  the  growth.  Pass  that  country  two  months 
after,  and  there  is  a  difference.  We  acquire  firmness 
and  experience  incessantly.  Every  action,  every  word, 
every  meal,  is  a  part  of  our  trial  and  our  discipline.  We 
are  assuredly  ripening  or  else  blighting.  We  are  not 
conscious  of  those  changes  which  go  on  quietly  and 
gradually  in  the  soul.  We  only  count  the  shocks  in  our 
journey.  Ambitions  die,  but  grace  grows  as  life  goes  on. 

Live  for  some  purpose  in  the  world.  Act  your  part 
well.  Fill  up  the  measure  of  your  duty  to  others.  Con- 
duct yourself  so  that  you  shall  be  missed  with  sorrow 
when  you  are  gone.  Multitudes  of  your  species  are 
living  in  such  a  selfish  manner  that  they  are  not  likely 
to  be  remembered  after  their  disappearance.  They  leave 
behind  them  scarcely  any  traces  of  their  existence,  but 
are  forgotten  almost  as  though  they  had  not  been.  They 
are,  while  they  live,  like  one  pebble  lying  unobserved 
among  a  million  on  the  shore,  and  when  they  die  they 
are  like  the  same  pebble  thrown  into  the  sea,  which  just 
ruffles  the  surf,  sinks  and  is  forgotten,  without  being 
missed  from  the  beach.  They  are  neither  regretted  by 
the  rich,  wanted  by  the  poor,  nor  celebrated  by  the 
learned.  Who  has  been  bettered  for  their  life?  Who 
has  been  the  worse  for  their  death?  Whose  tears  have 
been  dried  up?  Whose  wants  supplied?  Whose  mis- 
eries have  they  healed  ?  Who  would  unbar  the  gates  of 
life  to  readmit  them  into  existence?  Or,  what  face 
would  greet  them  back  again  into  our  world  with  a 
smile?  Wretched,  unproductive  mode  of  existence! 
Selfishness  is  its  own  curse;  is  is  a  starving  vice.  The 
man  who  does  no  good  gets  none.  He  is  like  the  heath 
in  the  desert,  neither  yielding  fruit  nor  seeing  when 
good  Cometh;  a  stunted,  dwarfish,  miserable  shrub. 

The  secret  of  success  in  life  is  to  keep  busy,  to  be  per- 
severing, patient  and  untiring  in  the  pursuit  or  calling 
you  are  following.  The  busy  ones  may  now  and  then 
make  mistakes,  but  it  is  better  to  risk  these  than  to  be 
idle  and  inactive.  Motion  is  life,  and  the  busiest  are 
the  happiest.     Cheerful,  active  labor  is  a  blessing. 

Every  man  must  patiently  abide  his  time.  He  must 
wait,  not  in  a  listless  idleness,  not  in  useless  pastime, 

105 


Purpose,  Work,  Success, 

not  in  querulous  dejection,  but  in  constant,  steady  ful- 
filling and  accomplishing  his  task,  that  when  the  occa- 
sion comes  he  may  be  equal  to  it.  The  talent  of  suc- 
cess is  nothing  more  than  doing  what  you  can  do  well, 
without  a  thought  of  fame.  If  it  comes  at  all,  it  will 
come  because  it  is  deserved,  not  because  it  is  sought 
after.  It  is  a  very  indiscreet  and  troublesome  ambition 
which  cares  so  much  what  the  world  says  of  us;  to  be 
always  anxious  about  the  effect  of  what  we  do  or  say; 
to  be  always  shouting  to  hear  the  echo  of  our  own 
voices. 

Young  men,  you  are  the  architects  of  your  own  for- 
tunes. Take  for  your  star,  self-reliance.  Don't  seek 
too  much  advice,  on  the  theory  that  too  many  cooks 
spoil  the  broth,  but  keep  at  the  helm  and  steer  your  own 
ship,  and  remember  that  the  art  of  commanding  is  to 
take  a  fair  share  of  the  work.  Think  well  of  yourself. 
Put  potatoes  in  a  cart  over  a  rough  road  and  the  small 
ones  go  to  the  bottom.  Rise  above  the  envious  and  jeal- 
ous. Fire  above  the  mark  you  intend  to  hit.  Energy, 
invincible  determination,  with  a  right  motive,  are  the 
levers  that  move  the  world.  Be  in  earnest.  Be  gen- 
erous. Be  civil.  Read  the  papers.  Advertise  your 
business.     Make  money,  and  do  good  with  it. 

The  most  wonderful  and  beautiful  things  are  often- 
est  done  in  the  world  by  those  who  had  no  opportuni- 
ties, while  people  whose  hands  were  full  of  the  means 
never  arrived  at  any  end. — Rosa  Mulholland. 

The  man  who  really  believes  that  the  world  owes  him 
a  living  is  willing  to  do  some  work  to  earn  what  is  due 
him. 

The  Temple  of  Honor  ought  to  be  seated  on  an  emi- 
nence. If  it  be  opened  through  virtue,  let  it  be  remem- 
bered, too,  that  virtue  is  never  tried  but  by  some  diffi- 
culty and  some  struggle. — Proctor. 

Glorious  it  is  to  wear  the  crown 
Of  a  deserved  and  pure  success; 

He  who  knows  how  to  fail  has  won 
A  crown  whose  luster  is  not  less. — Ibid. 

Many  a  good  intention  dies  from  inattention.  If, 
througn  carelessness  or  indolence  or  selfishness,  a  good 
intention  is  not  put  into  effect,  we  have  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity, demoralized  ourselves,  and  stolen  from  the  pile 
of  possible  good.  To  be  born  and  not  fed  is  to  perish. 
To  launch  a  ship  and  neglect  it  is  to  lose  it.    To  have 

106 


Purpose,  W  0  r  h  J  Success. 

a  talent  and  bury  it  is  to  be  a  "wicked  and  slothful  ser- 
vant/' For  in  the  end  we  shall  be  judged,  not  alone  by 
what  we  have  done,  but  by  what  we  could  have  done. 

The  secret  of  success  in  life  is  to  keep  busy,  to  be 
persevering,  patient  and  untiring  in  the  pursuit  or  call- 
ing you  are  following.  The  busy  ones  may  now  and 
then  make  mistakes,  but  it  is  better  to  risk  these  than 
to  be  idle  and  inactive.  Motion  is  life,  and  the  busiest 
are  the  happiest.     Cheerful,  active  labor  is  a  blessing. 

It  is  not  ease,  but  effort — not  facility,  but  difficulty 
that  makes  men.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  station  in  life 
in  which  difficulties  have  not  to  be  encountered  and 
overcome  before  any  decided  measure  of  success  can 
be  achieved.  Those  difficulties  are,  however,  our  best 
instructors,  as  our  mistakes  often  form  our  best  ex- 
perience. The  very  greatest  things — great  thoughts, 
discoveries  and  inventions — have  generally  been  nur- 
tured in  hardships,  often  pondered  over  in  sorrow,  and 
at  length  established  with  difficulty. 

God  has  made  no  promises  of  success  to  any  who  are 
half  hearted,  while  they  who  seek  Him  with  their  whole 
heart  will  prosper  both  at  the  throne  of  grace  and  in  the 
fields  of  conflict. 

"I  can't"  can  do  noting;  "I'll  try"  can  do  many 
things;  "I  will"  can  do  almost  anything. 

Discontentment  with  ourselves,  our  position  and  tal- 
ents, if  it  end  there  and  fail  to  stimulate  us  to  improve 
the  one  and  develop  the  other,  is  a  very  dangerous  con- 
dition of  mind. 

If  there  is  one  lesson  taught  by  human  life,  it  is  the 
lesson  of  resignation  to  our  lot.  I  do  not  mean  by 
resignation  that  state  of  abject  cowardice  which  makes 
one  sit  with  idle  hands  and  wait  for  things  to  turn  up, 
but  the  honest,  manly  sentiment  of  patient  submission 
to  God's  will  when  we  have  done  all  that  in  us  lies  to 
effect  our  purpose,  and  have  failed  through  no  fault  of 
our  own. 

God  has  given  to  each  of  us  a  certain  place  in  the 
economy  of  creation,  and  it  should  be  our  pleasure  as 
wtII  as  our  duty  to  fill  that  place  effectively. 

We  can't  change  it  for  any  other  one's  place,  or  trade 
off  our  talents  for  any  other  one's  talents.  That  it  is 
our  place,  and  that  they  are  our  talents,  should  be 
enough  to  reconcile  us  to  the  situation  and  to  ourselves. 

The  least  that  we  can  do  is  to  work  with  the  tools 
we  have  instead  of  vainly  sighing  for  better  ones. 


Purpose^  W  0  T  Ic  ,  Success, 

Besides,  even  where  the  tools  are  poor,  and  the  de- 
ficiency cannot  be  denied,  it  is  wonderful  how  indus- 
try and  perseverance  will  help  the  work  along,  and  al- 
most force  dull  instruments  to  produce  fine  results. 
"The  race  is  not  always  to  the  strong ;  it  is  to  the  active, 
the  vigilant,  the  brave." 

Faith  in  ourselves  and  in  our  destiny,  and  diligent 
and  continuous  cultivation  of  whatever  talents  Heaven 
has  blessed  us  with,  will  inevitably  bring  their  rich  and 
adequate  reward;  while  just  as  surely  discontent  with 
ourselves  will  make  life  a  wreck  and  a  failure. 

The  only  kind  of  discontent  that  should  be  tolerated 
is  the  noble  one  which  stimulates  us  to  make  up  for 
our  deficiencies  by  patient  and  persevering  labor.  Dis- 
contentment that  ends  with  envy  of  others'  advantages, 
and  results  in  no  practical  effort  for  our  own  advance- 
ment, is  a  dangerous  passion,  and  should  be  checked  in 
its  infancy. 

Young  people  whose  means  are  limited  and  who, 
struggling  to  get  an  education,  are  forced  to  overcome 
almost  insurmountable  obstacles,  often  look  with  envy 
upon  their  more  fortunate  companions  and  think,  "Oh, 
if  I  only  had  their  leisure  and  wealth  what  I  could  ac- 
complish !"  But  would  their  visions  come  to  pass  ?  Or 
would  they  perchance  succumb  to  the  soporific  effects 
of  ease  and  riches? 

There  is  a  stern  discipline  which  privations  bring 
which  seems  not  to  be  obtainable  in  any  other  way.  Re- 
member this:  "We  are  able  to  stand  where  we  do  to- 
day only  because  of  what  we  have  passed  through." 

Then"^  thank  God  if  you  have  trials.  Thank  Him 
reverently,  humbly.  He  knows  what  will  best  conduce 
to  the  development  of  your  character.  And  in  time,  if 
not  now,  you  can  say  fervently  with  one  of  the  great' 
ones  of  the  age:  "So  what  is  noblest  in  my  soul  has 
sprung  from  disease,  present  defeat,  disppointment» 
and  untoward  outward  circumstances." 

The  talent  of  success  is  nothing  more  than  doing 
what  you  can  do  well,  and  doing  well  whatever  you 
do,  without  a  thought  of  fame. — Longfellow. 

The  most  perilous  hour  of  a  person's  life  is  when 
he  is  tempted  to  despond.  The  man  who  loses  his  cour- 
age loses  all.  There  is  no  more  hope  for  him  than  a 
dead  man.  But — it  matters  not  how  poor  he  may  be, 
how  much  pushed  by  circumstances,  how  much  deserted 
by  friends,  how  much  lost  to  the  world — if  he  only 
keeps  his  courage,  holds  up  his  head,  and  with  uncon- 
querable will  determines  to  be  and  to  do  what  become? 

108 


Purpose,  Work,  Success, 

a  man,  all  will  be  well.     It  is  nothing  outside  of  him 
that  kills ;  it  is  what  is  within  that  makes  or  not  makes. 

Let  us,  then,  be  up  and  doing, 

With  a  heart  for  any  fate ; 
Still  achieving,  still  pursuing. 

Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait. 

— Longfellow. 

For  a  man  to  think  that  he  is  going  to  do  the  work 
of  his  life  without  obstacles  is  to  dream  in  the  lap  of 
folly. 

An  achievement  to  be  proud  of  is  that  which  carries 
immortality  with  it.  No  success  is  worthy  the  name 
which  does  net  include  character  development.  If  a 
career  has  not  an  upward  as  well  as  an  onward  ten- 
dency, if  a  man  has  groveled  in  the  mire,  he  is  a  fail- 
ure though  he  have  millions.  That  only  is  real  success 
which  aspires,  which  looks  up,  and  which  helps  others 
to  look  up  as  well. — Success. 

If  you  examine  the  path  of  almost  any  man's  success, 
you  will  find  it  paved  with  failures ;  in  fact,  in  many 
cases  they  have  been  the  guides  that  pointed  the  way  to 
success.  The  lessons  they  taught,  the  suggestions  they 
gave,  showed  the  man  the  way  to  win.  The  wrecks 
of  his  initial  ventures  were  danger  signals,  which  en- 
abled him  to  avoid  the  rocks  and  shoals  where  he  was 
first  stranded.  Most  of  the  successes,  in  this  country, 
are  built  upon  failures. — Ibid. 

The  secret  of  success  is  constancy  of  purpose. — Dis- 
raeli. 

Nothing  succeeds  like  success. — French  Proverb. 

^Tis  man's  to  fight,  but  Heaven's  to  give  success. — 
Pope. 

Ah !  know  what  true  success  is ;  young  hearts  dream. 

Dream  nobly,  and  plan  loftily,  nor  deem 

That  length  of  years  is  length  of  living.     See 

A  whole  life's  labor  in  an  hour  done; 

Not  by  world-tests  the  heavenly  crown  is  won, 

To  God  the  man  is  what  he  means  to  be. 

— Katherine  Conway. 

True  glory  consists  in  doing  what  deserves  to  be  writ- 
ten, in  writing  what  deserves  to  be  read,  and  in  so  liv- 
ing to  make  the  world  happier  and  better  for  our  living 
in  it. — Pliny, 


Purpose,  W  0  r  Jc  ^  Success, 

A  Definite  Purpose  Needed. 

He  who  lives  without  a  definite  purpose  achieves  no 
higher  end  than  to  serve  as  a  warning  to  others.  He  is 
a  kind  of  bellbuoy,  mournfully  tolled  by  the  waves  of 
circumstance  to  mark  the  rocks  or  shoals  which  are  to 
be  avoided.  What  the  sun  glass  does  to  the  sun's  rays 
— converge  them  until  they  become  a  blazing  and  irre- 
sistible point — that  a  definite  purpose  does  to  the  en- 
ergies of  the  soul.  It  brings  them  to  a  focus,  and 
achievement  follows  as  a  matter  of  course. 

To  occupy  one's  self  with  trifles  weans  from  the  habit 
of  work  more  effectually  than  idleness. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L. 
Spalding. 

Nothing  that  is  of  real  worth  can  be  achieved  with- 
out courageous  working.  Man  owes  his  growth  chiefly 
to  that  active  striving  of  the  will,  that  encounter  with 
difficulty,  which  we  call  effort;  and  it  is  astonishing  to 
find  how  often  results  apparently  impracticable  are 
thus  made  possible. 

Invincible  determination  and  a  right  motive  are  the 
levers  that  move  the  world. — Porter. 

Vigilance  in  watching  opportunity;  tact  and  daring 
in  seizing  opportunity ;  force  and  persistence  in  crowding 
opportunity  to  its  utmost  of  possible  achievement — these 
are  the  martial  virtues  which  must  command  success. 

Alphabet  of  Success. 

Attend  carefully  to  details. 

Be  prompt  in  all  things. 

Consider  well,  then  decide  positively. 

Dare  to  do  right,  fear  to  do  wrong. 

Endure  trials  patiently. 

Fight  life's  battles  bravely. 

Go  not  into  the  society  of  the  vicious. 

Hold  integrity  sacred. 

Injure  not  another's  reputation. 

Join  hands  with  the  virtuous. 

Keep  your  mind  free  from  evil  thoughts. 

Lie  not  for  any  consideration. 

Make  few  special  friends. 

Never  try  to  appear  what  you  are  not. 

Observe  good  manners. 

Pay  your  debts  promptly. 

Question  not  the  veracity  of  a  friend. 

Eespect  the  counsel  of  your  parents. 

Sacrifice  money  rather  than  principle. 

Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not  intoxicating  drinks. 

110 


purpose, 17  o  r  h  , Success. 

Use  your  leisure  for  improvement. 

Venture  not  upon  the  threshold  of  wrong. 

Watch  carefully  over  your  passions. 

Extend  to  every  one  a  kindly  greeting. 

Yield  not  to  discouragement. 

Zealously  labor  for  right  and  success  is  certain. 

The  secret  of  progress  lies  in  knowing  how  to  make 
use,  not  of  what  we  have  chosen,  but  of  what  is  forced 
upon  us. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 
Fail — yet  rejoice;  because  no  less 
The  failure  that  makes  thy  distress 
May  teach  another  full  success. — Procter. 

Mankind  is  more  indebted  to  industry  than  ingenu- 
ity; the  gods  set  up  their  favors  at  a  price,  and  indus- 
try is  the  purchaser. 

As  a  spring  can  never  rise  higher  than  its  source,  so 
one  can  never  attain  a  greater  success  than  he  believes 
he  can.  Absolute  confidence  in  one's  ability  to  suc- 
ceed is  an  indispensable  essential  to  the  highest  achieve- 
ment. 

When  you  have  found  your  niche — when  you  realize 
that  you  are  working  along  the  line  of  your  strongest 
faculties  instead  of  your  weakest — do  not  allow  any- 
thing to  divert  you  from  your  choice.  No  matter  what 
difficulties  may  arise,  no  matter  how  much  harder  than 
you  anticipated  your  work  may  be,  do  not  waver  or  turn 
back.  Stand  firm  by  your  choice.  Remember  that 
there  are  times  in  every  career  when  the  thorns  are 
more  plentiful  than  the  roses.  It  is  at  such  seasons  that 
your  manhood  must  assert  itself,  that  the  strength  of 
your  purpose  must  be  proved.  Do  not,  however  dark 
or  discouraging  the  outlook,  admit  the  possibility  of  de- 
feat. Set  your  face  toward  your  goal,  and  stoutly  af- 
firm and  reaffirm  your  confidence  in  your  ability  to  suc- 
ceed. This  keeping  one's  self  up  to  the  -success  standard, 
and  maintaining,  in  all  its  dignity  and  integrity,  one's 
self-sufficiency  to  accomplish  the  thing  undertaken,  is 
proof  of  a  strong  character. 

Never  permit  any  one  or  anything  to  undermine  your 
self-confidence.  Never  admit  to  yourself,  even  in 
thought,  that  there  may  be  a  possibility  of  your  failure. 
This  constant  affirmation,  this  persistent  dwelling  upon 
the  possible,  or  plus,  phase  of  success,  and  never  admit- 
ting the  negative,  will  tend  to  strengthen,  to  render  im- 
pregnable, the  great  purpose,  the  one  unwavering  aim, 
which  brings  victory. 

Many  fail  because  their  self-confidence  becomes 
shaky;  they  allow  people  to  inject  their   doubts   and 

111 


Purpose,  W  0  T  k  ,  Success. 

fears  into  their  minds,  until  they  become  uncertain  of 
themselves,  and  ultimately  lose  altogether  that  buoyant 
faith  in  their  ability  to  succeed  without  which  no  great 
thing  ever  was  accomplished. 

What  though  you  are  poor,  or  your  environment  un- 
favorable! These  things  should  incite  you  to  greater 
effort.  Stoutly  deny  the  power  of  adversity  or  poverty 
to  keep  you  down,  constantly  assert  your  superiority  to 
your  environment,  believe  firmly  that  you  were  made 
to  dominate  your  surroundings,  that  you  are  the  master 
and  not  the  slave  of  circumstances,  and  conditions  will 
soon  improve.  This  very  domination  in  thought,  this 
assumption  of  power,  this  affirmation  of  belief  in  your 
ability  to  succeed,  the  mental  attitude  which  claims  suc- 
cess on  the  highest  plane  as  an  inalienable  birthright, 
will  strengthen  the  whole  nature,  and  give  wonderful 
power  to  the  combination  of  faculties  which  doubt,  fear, 
and  lack  of  confidence  undermine. 

Many  a  man  has  accomplished  his  object  by  this  de- 
termined adherence  to  faith  in  his  ability  to  succeed, 
when  everything  but  his  determination  and  confidence 
in  himself  has  been  swept  away.  One  should  cling  to 
this  priceless  birthright  as  he  would  cling  to  his  honor. 

Thoughts  are  forces,  and  the  constant  affirmation  of 
one's  inherent  right  and  power  to  succeed  will  soon 
change  inhospitable  conditions  and  unkind  environ- 
ments to  favorable  paths  to  success  and  happiness. 
"The  thing  we  long  for,  that  we  are." — Success. 

There  is  no  rest  from  labor  on  earth;  there  are  al- 
ways duties  to  perform  and  functions  to  exercise,  func- 
tions which  are  ever  enlarging  and  extending  in  pro- 
portion to  the  growth  of  our  moral  and  mental  station. 

The  richest  land  produces  only  thorns  when  neglect- 
ed by  the  laborer  who  relies  on  its  natural  fertility. — 
D'Aguesseau. 

Men  give  me  credit  for  genius;  but  all  the  genius  I 
have  lies  in  this:  When  I  have  a  subject  on  hand  T 
study  it  profoundly.  The  effect  I  make  they  call  the 
fruit  of  genius;  it  is,  however,  the  fruit  of  labor  and 
thought. — Alexander  Hamilton. 

The  best  way  for  a  man  to  get  out  of  a  lowly  posi- 
tion is  to  be  conspicuously  effective  in  it. — Dr.  John 
Hall. 

N"ever  despair,  but  if  you  do,  work  on  in  despair. — 
Burlce. 

Tell  me  how  much  has  been  your  patient  toil  in  ob- 
scurity and  I  will  tell  you  how  far  you  will  triumph  in 
an  emergency. — Wm.  Mathews. 

112 


Purpose,  ^Y  0  T  h  ,  Success. 

The  secret  of  success  in  life  is  for  a  man  to  be  ready 
for  his  opportunity  when  it  comes. — Disraeli. 

Persistent  people  begin  their  success  where  others 
end  in  failure. — Edward  Eggleston. 

He  is  a  weak  man  who  cannot  twist  and  weave  the 
threads  of  his  feeling — however  ^ne,  however  tangled, 
however  strained,  or  however  strong — into  the  great 
cable  of  purpose,  by  which  he  lies  moored  to  his  life  of 
action. — Ik  Marvel. 

"Health,  usefulness  and  success  are  mine;  I  claim 
them."  Keep  on  thinking  the  thought,  no  matter  what 
happens,  and  ere  long  these  blessings  will  be  yours. 

The  law  that  underlies  this  mental  process  may  be 
thus  expressed:  "Desire  will  fulfill  itself."  "Nothing 
is  impossible  to  him  that  believeth,"  to  use  Biblical 
language. 

We  can  achieve  success  and  have  health,  wealth  and 
happiness,  if  we  will  persistently  hold  firmly  to  a  de- 
sire for  these  things  and  confidently  believe  in  the  real- 
ization of  our  desire. 

When  apparent  adversity  comes,  be  not  cast  down. 
Make  the  best  of  it.  Always  look  forward  to  better 
things,  for  conditions  more  prosperous. 

By  daily  holding  yourself  in  this  mental  attitude  you 
will  set  in  motion  subtle,  silent  and  irresistible  forces 
that,  sooner  or  later,  will  actualize  in  material  form 
that  which  is  to-day  simply  an  idea. 

But  let  it  be  understood  that  ideas  possess  occult 
power,  and  that  ideas,  when  properly  planted  and  care- 
fully tended,  are  the  seeds  which  ere  long  spring  up  as 
material  conditions. 

Avoid  with  the  utmost  care  all  worrying  and  com- 
plaining, and  utilize  the  time  that  would  be  given  to 
this  baneful  habit,  in  looking  forward  to  and  actualiz- 
ing the  condition  you  desire. 

Suggest  prosperity  to  yourself.  See  yourself  men- 
tally in  prosperous  circumstances.  Keep  ever  affirm- 
ing to  yourself  that  you  will  soon  be  in  prosperous  cir- 
cumstances. Affirm  it  calmly  and  quietly,  but  strongly 
and  confidently. 

Believe  it  absolutely.  Expect  it,  keep  it  continually 
watered  by  strong,  persistent  expectations.  The  poet 
observes : 

lis 


Purpose,  W  0  r  Jc  ,  Success, 

The  thing  we  long  for,  that  we  are, 

For  one  transcendent  moment, 
Ere  the  present,  poor  and  bare, 

Can  make  its  sneering  comment; 
Still  through  our  paltry  stir  and  strife 

Glows  down  the  wished  ideal, 
And  longing  molds  the  clay  what  Life 

Carves  in  the  marble  real. 

— Lowell, 

Desire  will  fulfill  itself.  How  ?  By  keeping  up  this 
habit  of  thought  you  make  yourself  a  magnet  to  at- 
tract to  yourself  the  things  you  strongly  desire.  Don't 
be  afraid  to  suggest,  to  affirm  these  things,  for  by  so 
doing  you  put  forth  ideas  which  are  bound  very  soon 
to  clothe  themselves  in  material  form.  By  this  process 
of  mentation  you  are  utilizing  one  of  the  most  subtle 
and  dynamic  forces  in  the  universe. 

If  you  are  specially  desirous  for  anything  that  you 
regard  as  good  and  right  to  possess,  which  will  enlarge 
your  life  or  add  to  your  usefulness,  simply  hold  the 
thought  in  mind.  .  Thus  at  the  right  time,  in  the  proper 
way  and  through  the  right  instrumentality,  there  will 
come  to  you  or  there  will  open  up  for  you  the  way 
whereby  you  can  attain  your  desire.  Faith,  absolute 
dogmatic  faith,  is  the  only  law  of  true  success.  When 
we  recognize  the  fact  that  a  man  carries  with  him  his 
success  or  failure,  and  that  it  does  not  depend  upon 
outside  conditions,  we  will  come  into  the  possession  of 
powers  which  will  greatly  change  outside  conditions  into 
agents  that  make  for  success.  We  will  thus,  like  Napo- 
leon, make  circumstances  subservient  to  our  interests. 
When  we  come  into  this  higher  realization  and  bring  our 
lives  into  complete  harmony  with  the  higher  laws,  we  will 
then  be  able  to  focus  and  direct  the  awakened  interior 
forces  so  that  they  will  go  out  and  return  laden  with 
that  for  which  they  were  sent.  We  will  then  be  great 
enough  to  attract  success,  which  has  so  far  been  apparent 
just  a  little  ahead  of  us  in  the  race  of  life. 

The  philosophy  of  this  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  "law 
of  attraction"  works  ever  through  the  universe.  Like 
attracts  like.  God  holds  all  things  in  His  hands  for 
His  children.  "All  things  are  yours.''  Such  is  the  be- 
liever's heritage,  though  we  often  fail  to  realize  it, 
through  lack  of  faith. 

Have  absolute  confidence  in  your  own  ability.  It  has 
been  well  said:  "The  men  and  women  who  are  suc- 
cessful in  a  worldy  way  are  those  who  have  absolute 

114 


Purpose 


Work 


S  u 


c  c  e  s  s 


confidence  in  their  ability."  Hold  in  your  mind  the 
thought  of  success,  and  you  will  be  successful. — Dr.  J. 
C.  Quvnn. 

If  we  were  to  examine  a  list  of  the  men  who  have 
left  their  mark  on  the  world  we  should  find  that,  as  a 
rule,  it  is  not  composed  of  those  who  were  brilliant  in 
youth,  or  who  gave  great  promise  at  the  outset  of  their 
careers,  but  rather  of  the  plodding  young  men  who,  if 
they  have  not  dazzled  by  their  brilliancy,  have  had  the 
power  of  a  day's  w^ork  in  them,  who  could  stay  by  a 
task  until  it  was  done,  and  well  done;  who  have  had 
grit,  persistence,  common  sense  and  honesty. 

It  is  the  steady  exercise  of  these  ordinary  homely  vir- 
tues, united  with  average  ability,  rather  than  a  decep- 
tive display  of  more  showy  qualities  in  youth,  that  en- 
ables a  man  to  achieve  greatly  and  honorably.  So,  if 
we  were  to  attempt  to  make  a  forecast  of  the  successful 
men  of  the  future,  we  should  not  look  for  them  among 
the  ranks  of  the  "smart"  boys,  those  who  think  they 
"know  it  all"  and  are  anxious  to  win  by  a  short  route. — 
Success. 

The  successful  man,  whether  in  business  or  politics, 
who  has  risen  by  a  conscienceless  swindling  of  his 
neighbors,  by  deceit  and  chicanery,  by  unscrupulous 
boldness  and  unscrupulous  cunning,  stands  toward  so- 
ciety as  a  dangerous  wild  beast.  The  mean  and  ring- 
ing admiration  which  such  a  career  commands  among 
those  who  think  "crookedly  or  not  at  all,  makes  this  kind 
of  success  perhaps  the  most  dangerous  of  all  the  influ- 
ences that  threaten  our  national  life.  Our  standard  of 
public  and  private  conduct  will  never  be  raised  to  the 
proper  level  until  w^e  make  the  scoundrel  who  succeeds 
feel  the  weight  of  a  hostile  public  opinion  even  more 
strongly  than  the  scoundrel  who  fails. — Theodore 
Roosevelt. 


lis 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 
Friendship,  Love.  CompoLny. 

This  is  the  prize  definition  of  "Friendship"  selected 
by  a  newspaper  from  a  list  submitted  to  it : 


The  person  who  comes  in 
when  the  whole  world  has  gone 
out. 


The  following  are  some  of  the  best  definitions  sub- 
mitted: A  bank  of  credit  on  which  we  draw  supplies 
of  confidence,  counsel,  sympathy,  help  and  love. 

One  who  considers  my  needs  before  my  deservings. 

The  triple  alliance  of  the  three  great  powers,  love, 
sympathy  and  help. 

One  who  understands  our  silence. 

A  jewel,  whose  luster  the  strong  acids  of  poverty  and 
misfortune  cannot  dim. 

One  who  smiles  on  our  fortunes,  frowns  on  our  faults, 
sympathizes  with  our  sorrows,  weeps  at  our  bereave- 
ments and  is  a  safe  fortress  at  all  times  of  trouble. 

One  who,  gaining  the  top  of  the  ladder,  won't  forget 
you  if  you  remain  at  the  bottom. 

An  insurance  against  misanthropy. 

An  earthly  minister  of  heavenly  happiness. 

A  friend  is  like  ivy — the  greater  the  ruin,  the  closer 
he  clings. 

One  who  to  himself  is  true,  and  therefore  must  be 
so  to  you. 

The  same  to-day,  the  same  to-morrow,  either  in  pros- 
perity, adversity  or  sorrow. 

One  truer  to  me  than  I  am  myself. 

116 


Friendship,     Love,     Company, 

Who  is  my  brother?     Is  it  he 

Whose  lot  is  lifted  high 
Above  earth's  toiling  ones?    Not  thus, 

The  Saviour  made  reply. 

From  the  quiet  hills  I  hear  him  say, 

And  from  the  busy  coast, 
"Thy  brother  is,  0  questioner, 

The  one  who  needs  thee  most." 

Friendship,  like  confidence,  is  a  plant  of  slow  growth. 

Disarm  your  enemies  by  gentleness. 

The  friendship  of  the  good  is  a  refuge  that  fails  not, 
a  treasure  that  angels  prize,  and  in  their  diadems  it  is 
set  round  with  virtue,  love  and  truth. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  human  mind  levels  it- 
self to  the  standard  around  it  gives  us  the  most  perti- 
nent warning  as  to  the  company  we  keep. — James  Rus- 
sell Lowell. 

If  I  should  see 

A  brother  languishing  in  sore  distress, 

And  I  should  turn  and  leave  him  comfortless 
When  I  might  be 

A  messenger  of  hope  and  happiness, 
How  could  I  ask  to  have  what  I  denied 
In  my  own  hour  of  bitterness  supplied  ? 

If  I  might  speak 

Some  words  to  cheer  a  fainting  heart. 
And  I  should  seal  my  lips  and  sit  apart 
When  I  might  bring 

A  bit  of  sunshine  for  life's  ache  and  smart, 
How  could  I  hope  to  have  my  grief  relieved 
If  I  kept  silent  when  my  brother  grieved? 

And  so  I  know 

That  day  is  lost  wherein  I  fail  to  lend 
A  helping  hand  to  some  wayfaring  friend, 

But  if  it  show 

A  burden  lightened  by  the  cheer  I  send, 

Then  do  I  hold  the  golden  hours  well  spent 

And  lay  me  down  to  sleep  in  sweet  content. 


We  cannot  help  who  our  relatives  may  be,  but  we 
nave  an  unlimited  autonomy  in  the  selection  of  our 
friends,  and  we  should  use  it  with  the  greatest  of  dis- 
cretion.— John  McCarthy. 


117 


Friendship,     Love,     Go 


m  p  a  n  y 


Small  service  is  true  service  while  it  lasts; 

Of  friends,  however  humble,  scorn  not  one; 
The  daisy,  by  the  shadow  that  it  casts, 

Protects  the  lingering  dewdrop  from  the  sun. 

— Wordsworth. 

A  long  novitiate  of  acquaintance  should  precede  the 
vows  of  friendship. — Bolingbroke. 

A  man  should  keep  his  friendship  in  constant  re- 
pair.— Johnson. 

It  is  easier  to  forgive  the  weak  whom  we  have  in- 
jured than  the  powerful  who  have  injured  us. 

0  man !  forgive  thy  mortal  foe, 
Nor  ever  strike  him  blow  for  blow; 
For  all  the  souls  on  earth  that  live, 
To  be  forgiven,  must  forgive. 
Forgive  him  seventy  times  and  seven; 
For  all  the  blessed  souls  in  lieaven 
Are  both  forgivers  and  forgiven! 

— Tennyson. 

The  heart  of  a  Christian  should  be  a  tomb  for  the 
faults  of  his  friends. 

Nothing  can  withstand  or  resist  the  evil  influence  of 
bad  companionship.  Parental  influence  cannot  check 
it.  No  virtue  is  so  strong,  no  intelligence  or  education 
so  superior  or  enlightened  as  not  to  fall  a  victim  to  the 
baneful  influence  of  evil  companionship.  The  proverb 
says:  "Tell  m.e  with  whom  you  go  and  I  will  tell  you 
who  you  are.''  Or  again:  "Companionship  is  among 
likes  or  makes  likes."  This  being  so,  therefore  should 
the  greatest  vigilance  be  exerted  in  this  respect.  St. 
iVugustine  says:  "Bad  company  is  like  a  nail  driven 
into  a  post,  which  after  the  first  or  second  blow  mav 
be  drawn  out  with  little  difficulty,  but  being  once  driven 
up  to  the  head,  the  pincers  cannot  take  hold  to  draw 
it  out.  but  which  can  only  be  done  by  the  destruction 
of  the  wood." 

We  may  know  a  man  by  the  company  he  keeps;  we 
may  know  him  better  by  the  books  he  loves,  and  if  he 
loves  none  he  is  not  worth  knowing. 

Friendship  is  one  of  those  subjects  on  which  much 
has  been  written — indeed,  a  great  deal  more  has  been 
Avritten  than  is  understood  about  it.  Perhaps  Dante's 
definition  of  friendship  is  the  shortest  and  best  one  of 
all.  He  was  asked  by  the  Prince  of  Corona  how  the 
fact  was  to  be  accounted  for  that  in  the  household  of 
princes  the  court  fool  was  in  greater  favor  than  the 

118 


Friendship,     Love,     Company, 

philosopher.  "Similarity  of  mind  is  the  cause  of  friend- 
ship the  world  over,"  was  the  fierce  reply  of  Dante, 
thereby  incurring  the  eternal  enmity  of  the  Prince. 
There  are  many  causes  that  separate  friends.  One  of 
the  chasms  that  part  friends  is  sarcasm.  Another  is 
borrowing  money.  Make  friends  with  your  creditors 
if  you  can,  but  never  make  a  creditor  of  your  friend. 
Some  persons  look  for  perfection  in  a  friend.  They 
are  doomed  to  disappointment. 

We  sigh  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 

The  hand  of  a  friend  most  dear. 
Who  has  passed  from  our  side  to  the  shadowy  land, 

But  what  of  the  hand  that  is  near? 

To  the  living's  touch  is  the  soul  inert 

That  weeps  o'er  the  silent  urn? 
For  the  love  that  lives  is  our  hand  alert 

To  make  some  sweet  return? 

Do  we  answer  back  in  a  fretful  tone 

When  life's  duties  press  us  sore? 
Is  our  praise  as  full  as  if  they  were  gone, 

And  could  hear  our  praise  no  more? 

As  the  days  go  by  are  our  hands  more  swift 

For  a  trifle  beyond  their  share 
Than  to  grasp,  for  a  kindly,  helpful  lift. 

The  burden  some  one  must  bear? 

We  sigh  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand. 

And  we  think  ourselves  sincere, 
But  what  of  the  friends  that  about  us  stand. 

And  the  touch  of  the  hand  that  is  here  ? 

Grief  knits  two  hearts  in  closer  bonds  than  happi- 
ness ever  can;  and  common  sufferings  are  far  stronger 
links  than  common  joy. 

Give  thy  thoughts  no  tongue, 

Nor  any  unproportion'd  thought  his  act. 

Be  thou  familiar,  but  by  no  means  vulgar. 

The  friends  thou  hast,  and  their  adoption  tried. 

Grapple  them  to  thv  soul  with  hoops  of  steel; 

But  do  not  dull  thy  palm  with  entertainment 

Of  each  new-hatch'd,  unfledged  comrade. 

— Shakespeare, 

Humanity  is  never  so  beautiful  as  when  praying  for 
forgiveness,  or  else  forgiving  another. — Richter. 

119 


Friendship,     Love,     Company. 

Procure  not  friends  in  haste,  and  when  thou  hast  a 
friend  part  not  with  him  in  haste. — Solon. 

I  would  not  enter  on  my  list  of  friends 

(Though  graced  with  polishM  manners  and  fine  sense, 

Yet  wanting  sensibility)  the  man 

Who  needlessly  sets  foot  upon  a  worm. 

— Cowper, 
If  any  little  love  of  mine 

May  make  a  life  the  sweeter, 
If  any  little  care  of  mine 

May  make  a  friend  the  fleeter. 
If  any  lift  of  mine  may  ease 

The  burden  of  another, 
God  give  me  love  and  care  and  strength 
To  help  my  toiling  brother. 
Friendship  has  a  noble   effect   upon  all  states   and 
conditions.    It  relieves  our  cares,  raises  our  hopes  and 
abates  our  fears.    A  friend  who  relates  his  success  talks 
himself  into  a  new  pleasure,  and,  by  opening  his  mis- 
fortunes, leaves  part  of  them  behind  him. 

The  basis  and  groundwork  of  friendship  is  the  for- 
getting of  self  through  that  sympathy  which  must  al- 
ways exist  between  real  friends.  With  such  a  starting 
point,  friendship — true  friendship — must  lead  to  a 
better,  nobler  life,  to  higher  ideas,  and  to  purer  desires. 
If  3^ou  associate  with  the  wicked  you  will  become 
wicked  yourself. — Menander. 

Scorn  no  man's  love,  though  of  a  mean  degree;  love 
is  a  present  for  a  mighty  king;  much  less  make  any  man 
thine  enemy. — George  Herbert. 

We  attract  hearts  by  the  qualities  we  display;  we  re- 
tain them  by  the  qualities  we  possess. 

As  soon  as  we  begin  to  hate  our  neighbor  God  hates 
us. — Cure  of  Ars. 

That  song  is  sweetest,  bravest,  best. 

Which  plucks  the  thistle-barb  of  care 
From  a  despondent  brother's  breast, 
And  plants  a  sprig  of  heartsease  there. 

— Andrew  Downing. 
Human  relations  are  sensitive  things    and    require 
care  and  watchfulness. 

One's  work  ig  the  best  company. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L. 
Spalding. 

Whoever  would  test  friendship,  or  love,  or  culture,  or 
religion  by  its  utility  is  a  Philistine. — Ihid. 

There  are  many  lovers,  but  little  love;  many  believ- 
ers, but  little  faith. — Ihid. 

130 


Friendship,     Love,     Company. 

The  deepest  love  is  silent ;  the  deepest  faith  is  dumb. 
—Ibid, 

The  man  who  has  friends  has  no  friend. — Aristotle. 

It  is  pleasant  to  hear  of  the  success  of  a  friend. — 
Herodotus. 

We  make  friends  not  by  receiving,  but  by  conferring 
kindness. — Thucydides. 

The  deepest  hunger  of  a  faithful  heart  is  faithful- 
ness.— George  Eliot. 

Chide  a  friend  in  private  and  praise  him  in  public. — 
Solon. 

Forgive  thy  neighbor  if  he  has  hurt  thee,  and  then 
thy  sins  shall  be  forgiven  thee  when  thou  prayest. — 
Eccles.  xxviii. 

Friends  are  to  be  estimated  from  their  deeds,  not 
their  words. — Livy. 

What  fidelity  can  be  expected  among  strangers  if  it 
is  wanting  among  friends. — Sallust. 

"Friends,  in  this  world  of  hurry 
And  work  and  sudden  end, 
If  a  thought  comes  quick  of  doing 

A  kindness  to  a  friend. 
Do  it  that  blessed  minute! 

Don't  put  it  oft' !     Don't  wait ! 
What's  the  use  of  doing  a  kindness 
If  you  do  it  a  day  too  late. 
No  one  comes  near  us  or  across  us,  but  it  is  through 
an  intention  of  God,  that  we  may  help,  soothe  or  cheer 
him. — Fdber. 

People  will,  in  a  great  degree,  and  not  without  rea- 
son, form  their  opinion  of  you,  upon  that  which  they 
have  of  your  friends;  and  there  is  a  Spanish  proverb 
which  says,  very  justly,  "Tell  me  with  whom  you  asso- 
ciate, and  I  will  tell  you  who  you  are.'' 

No  man  can  be  provident  of  his  time  who  is  not 
prudent  in  the  choice  of  his  company. — Taylor. 

What  is  friendship  but  a  name, 
A  charm  that  lulls  to  sleep, 
A  shade  that  follows  wealth  or  fame, 
And  leaves  the  wretch  to  weep  ? 

— Goldsmith. 
The  possession  of  friends    is    the    purest  happiness 
and  the  greatest  source  of  sweetness  in  life. 

Having  friends  is  multiplying  one's  knowledge. 
We  are  three,  said  a  philosopher,  but,  as  we  have  but 
one  heart,  we  see  through  the  mind  of  all,  we  labor 
with  the  strength  of  all. 

121 


Friendship,     Love,     Company. 

Having  friends,  says  De  Maistre,  is  a  conductor  who 
carries  off  sorrow. 

Nothing  is  so  healing  as  the  balm  of  affection. 

But  friends  must  be  won.  Being  loved  for  one's  self 
is  a  romantic  dream.  God  makes  advances  to  win 
friends ;  why  should  not  we  ? 

Character  doubtless  has  much  to  do  with  friendship 
affording  more  or  less  sympathy,  but  unselfish  efforts 
complete  what  sympathy  has  begun. 

To  have  friends,  meriit  them.  If  you  do  not  merit 
esteem  and  you  have  exterior  qualities  which  please,  or 
riches  which  dazzle,  or  a  position  which  can  afford  pro- 
tection— three  things  which  attract  time  servers — you 
wdll  perhaps  be  flattered,  you  will  not  be  loved. 

Friendship  is  as  delicate  and  ti7nid  as  a  dove.  She 
must  be  approached  softly,  and  allured  gently ;  but  once 
taken,  how  faithful  she  is  and  how  she  fills  all  life  with 
her  grace  and  beauty.     Do  you  know  what  attracts  her  ? 

Good  will  and  affability — obscure  little  virtues,  one 
of  which  does  not  see  or  at  least  does  not  look  at  the 
defects  of  others,  and  the  other,  which  attracts  by  a 
hidden  charm  pervading  one's  bearing,  one's  smile, 
one's  w^ords. 

Little  virtues  which  cost  little  and  are  of  great  value. 

It  is  sometimes  possible  to  be  too  kind;  we  never 
have  too  much  good  will  and  affability. 

Kindness.  There  is  nothing  w^hich  more  strongly  at- 
tracts and  binds  a  heart  than  deeds  of  kindness,  and  the 
heart  which  is  insensible  to  them  is  a  bad  heart. 

Kind  deeds  are  the  net  which  we  must  cast  every 
hour;  many  hearts  will  doubtless  escape;  sufficient  will 
remain  to  compensate  you  for  the  trouble  you  have 
taken  and  the  outlay  you  have  made.  Is  not  happiness 
worth  a  little  fatigue  ?  The  basis  of  happiness  is  kind- 
ness. 

Consideration.  This  is  the  small  coin  of  kindness 
and  affability;  it  is  current  everywhere,  with  all,  and 
always  brings  back  a  little  friendship. 

The  considerate  man  not  only  avoids  giving  pain, 
but  he  further  enters  into  the  tastes,  the  views  of  all, 
and  profits  by  the  least  occasion  to  give  pleasure. 

Thus,  you  will  find,  that  I  have  spoken  better  than 
another  who  nevertheless  shall  have  said  the  same 
thing.  You  do  not  grow  weary  in  diverting  my  weari- 
ness ;  you  study  my  humor,  to  which  you  subject  yours ; 
you  never  wound  my  self-love  by  a  too  vivid  picture 
of  my  faults ;  the  duty  which  I  have  neglected  you  per- 
form^ leaving  me  to  believe  I  have  done  it  myself. 


Friendship,     Love,     Company, 

How  could  I  not  love  you? 

But  consideration  requires  a  good  deal  of  tact. 

Do  too  little,  you  are  rude;  do  too  much,  you  are 
otRcious. 

We  must  be  considerate — in  heart,  to  love;  in  mind 
and  tact,  to  do  fittingly  what  is  to  be  done;  in  patience, 
to  long  bear  with  forgetfulness  and  even  lack  of  grati- 
tude. 

Let  us  try  to  gain  a  friend  each  day.  Doubtless  we 
may  not  always  preserve  them,  but  there  will  surely 
be  among  them  an  affectionate  heart  won  by  our  kind- 
ness, and  if  one  becomes  an  intimate  friend  of  the  soul, 
surely  we  are  repaid. 

Perhaps  it  is  better  to  be  able  to  say  my  friend  than 
my  friends. 

An  art  still  more  difiicult  than  making  friends  is  the 
art  of  preserving  them.  Only  remember  that  the  pleas- 
ures  of  friendship,  the  duties  of  friendship,  are  synony- 
mous terms  to  kind  hearts. 

That  your  love  may  long  endure  in  all  its  tenderness, 
alivays  live  as  if  you  were  on  the  eve  of  parting  and  de- 
sired to  have  a  mutually  pleasant  memory. 

Then  do  not  judge  your  friend;  according  as  we  be- 
gin to  judge,  our  love  begins  to  weaken. 

Would  you  finally  be  sure  that  you  are  loved  and  that 
you  truly  love?  See  if  in  your  friend  and  yourself 
there  are  these  four  qualities: 

Prudent  liberty,  which  proves  in  a  friend  the  weak- 
nesses he  should  correct,  but  does  it  with  a  tact  and 
delicacy  which  never  causes  a  friend  to  blush. 

Frank  arid  confiding  intercourse,  in  which  counsel  is 
simply  given  and  asked. 

Courageous  justice  to  undertake  the  *  defense  of  a 
friend  in  order  to  establish,  increase  or  maintain  his 
reputation,  even  at  the  risk  of  personal  unpleasantness. 

Constant  kindness,  which  is  a  support  and  consola- 
tion, making  us  always  easy  of  access,  and  enabling  our 
friend  to  count  upon  us  always  and  in  all  things. 

All  men  have  their  frailties,  and  whoever  looks  for  a 
friend  without  imperfections  will  never  find  what  he 
seeks.  We  love  ourselves  notwithstanding  our  faults, 
and  we  ought  to  love  our  friend  in  like  manner. — Cyrus. 

Few  mortals  are  so  insensible  that  their  affections 
cannot  be  gained  by  mildness,  their  confidence  by  sin- 
cerity, their  hatred  by  scorn  or  neglect. — Zimmerman. 

It  is  always  safe  to  learn,  even  from  our  enemies; 
seldom  safe  to  instruct,  even  our  friends. — Colton. 

153 


Friendship,     Love,     Company. 

Friendship !    Mysterious  cement  of  the  soul ! 
Sweetener  of  life !  and  solder  of  society  I 

— Robert  Blair. 

Those  who  humble  us  are  our  friends,  and  those  who 
praise  us  are  our  enemies. — Cwe  of  Ars. 

Youth  fades;  love  droops;  the  leaves  of  friendship  fall; 
A  mother's  secret  hope  outlives  them  all. — Holmes. 

We  are  all  ungrateful  to  those  from  whom  we  re- 
ceive the  highest  and  holiest  gifts. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L. 
Spalding. 

His  Mother. 

He  is  too  young  to  know  it  now, 
But  some  day  he  will  know. 

— Eugene  Field. 

Above  her  little  sufferer's  bed, 

With  all  a  mother's  grace, 
She  stroked  the  curly,  throbbing  head 

And  soothed  the  fevered  face. 
"He  does  not  know  my  love,  my  fears, 

My  toil  of  heart  and  hand; 
But  some  day  in  the  after  years. 

Some  day  he'll  understand; 
Some  day  he'll  know 
I  loved  him  so. 

Some  day  he'll  understand." 

A  wild  lad  plays  his  thoughtless  part 

As  fits  his  childhood's  lot, 
And  tramples  on  his  mother's  heart 

Oftimes  and  knows  it  not. 
He  plays  among  his  noisy  mates, 

Nor  knows  his  truest  friend; 
His  mother  sighs,  as  still  she  waits, 

"Some  day  he'll  comprehend; 
The  day  will  be 
When  he  will  see; 

Some  day  he'll  comprehend." 

The  strong  youth  plays  his  strenuous  part; 

His  mother  waits  aione; 
And  soon  he  finds  another  heart — 

To  mate  unto  his  own. 
She  gave  him  up  in  joy  and  woe. 

He  takes  his  young  bride's  hand, 

124 


Friendship,     Love,     Company, 

His  mother  murmurs,  "Will  he  know 
And  ever  understand? 

When  will  he  know 
I  love  him  so  ? 
When  will  he  understand?" 

The  strong  man  fights  his  battling  days, 

The  fight  is  hard  and  grim; 
His  mother's  plain,  old-fashioned  ways 

Have  little  charm  for  him. 
The  dimness  falls  around  her  years. 

The  shadows  round  her  stand- 
She  mourns  in  loneliness  and  tears, 

"He'll  never  understand; 
He'll  never  know 
I  love  him  so; 

He'll  never  understand." 

A  bearded  man  of  serious  years 

Bends  down  above  the  dead. 
And  rains  the  tribute  of  his  tears 

Over  an  old  gray  head. 
He  stands  the  open  grave  above. 

Amid  the  mourning  bands; 
And  now  he  knows  his  mother's  love. 
And  now  he  understands; 
Now  doth  he  know 
She  loved  him  so. 
And  now  he  understands. 

— Sam  Walter  Foss. 

A  great  help  to  advancement  in  spiritual  life  is  to 
have  a  friend  whom  you  will  permit  to  inform  you  of 
your  faults. — *S'/.  Ignativs. 

Friends  humor  and  flatter  us,  they  steal  our  time, 
they  encourage  our  love  of  ease,  they  make  us  content 
with  ourselves,  they  are  the  foes  of  our  virtue  and  our 
glory. — lit.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

Where's  Mother? 

Bursting  from  the  school  or  play 
This  is  what  the  children  say; 
Trooping,  crowding,  big  and  small. 
On  the  threshold,  in  the  hall, 
Joining  in  the  constant  cry 
Ever  as  the  davs  go  bv — 

"Where's  mother?" 

125 


Friendship,     L  o  v  &  ,     Company, 

From  the  weary  bed  of  pain 
This  same  question  comes  again; 
From  the  boy  with  sparkling  eyes, 
Bearing  home  his  earliest  prize; 
From  the  bronzed  and  bearded  son, 
Perils  past  and  honors  won — 
"Where's  mother  T 

Burdened  with  a  lonely  task, 
One  day  we  may  vainly  ask 
For  the  comfort  of  her  face. 
For  the  rest  of  her  embrace. 
Let  us  love  her  while  we  may, 
Well  for  us  that  we  can  say — 
"Where's  mother  T 

The  love  of  our  neighbor  is  the  only  door  out  of  the 
dungeon  of  self. — Macdonald. 

Help  somebody  worse  off  than  yourself,  and  you  will 
find  that  you  are  better  off  than  you  had  thought. 

Life's  Scars. 

The  choicest  garb,  the  sweetest  grace 

Are  oft  to  strangers  shown; 
The  careless  mien,  the  frowning  face 

Are  given  to  our  own. 
We  flatter  those  we  scarcely  know — 

We  please  the  fleeting  guest, 
And  deal  full  many  a  thoughtless  blow 

To  those  who  love  us  best. 

Love  does  not  grow  on  every  tree, 

Nor  true  hearts  yearly  bloom. 
Alas  for  those  who  only  see 

This  cut  across  a  tomb! 
But,  soon  or  late,  the  fact  grows  plain 

To  all  through  sorrow's  test — 
The  only  folks  who  give  us  pain 

Are  those  we  love  the  best. 

—E.  W.  Wilcox, 

Faith. 

Better  trust  all  and  be  deceived, 

And  weep  that  trust  and  that  deceiving, 
Than  doubt  one  heart  that,  if  believed. 
Had  blessed  one's  life  with  true  believing. 

126 


Friendship,     Love,     Company, 

0,  in  this  mocking  world  too  fast 

The  doubting  friend  overtakes  our  youth; 

Better  be  cheated  to  the  last 

Than  lose  the  blessed  hope  of  truth. 

— Frances  Anne  Kemble. 

Care  in  the  Choice  of  Friends. 

We  owe  much  to  ourselves  in  the  choice  of  friends. 
Sir  John  Lubbock  says:  "In  the  choice  of  a  dog  or 
of  a  horse  we  exercise  the  greatest  care.  We  inquire 
into  its  pedigree,  its  training  and  character,  and  yet 
we  too  often  leave  the  selection  of  our  friends,  which 
is  of  infinitely  greater  importance — by  whom  our  whole 
life  will  be  more  or  less  influenced  either  for  good  or 
evil — almost  to  chance." 

And  such  is  the  fact.  Meeting  one  in  the  most  casual 
way,  we  frequently  adopt  him  as  an  intimate.  The 
curl  of  the  lip,  the  twitch  of  the  eyelid  or  the  toss  of 
the  head,  having  in  some  strange  way  fascinated  us, 
without  hesitation  we  cultivate  the  acquaintanceship 
until  it  ripens  into  friendship,  and  our  whole  life  suf- 
fers or  gains  thereby — imperceptibly,  perhaps,  but  as 
surely  as  the  waters  of  the  stream  tend  to  the  ocean. 
There  is  so  much  of  evil  in  the  world  which  we  cannot 
avoid,  and  with  which  at  times  we  come  into  close  con- 
tact, that  it  goes  without  saying  that  in  matters 
wherein  we  have  a  voice  we  should  use  it  with  wise  dis- 
cretion. 

Our  good  or  bad  fortune  depends  greatly  on  the 
choice  we  make  of  our  friends. 

A  Lost  Friend. 

My  friend  he  was;  my  friend  from  all  the  rest; 
With  childlike  faith  he  oped  to  me  his  breast; 
^o  door  was  locked  on  altar,  grave  or  grief; 
No  weakness  veiled,  concealed  no  disbelief; 
The  hope,  the  sorrow  and  the  wrong  were  bare, 
And  ah,  the  shadow  only  showed  the  fair ! 

T  gave  him  love  for  love ;  but,  deep  within, 
I  magnified  each  frailty  into  sin ; 
Each  hill-topped  foible  in  the  sunset  glowed, 
Obscuring  vales  where  rivered  virtues  flowed, 
Eeproof  became  reproach,  till  common  grew 
The  captious  word  at  every  fault  I  knew. 
He  smiled  upon  the  censorship,  and  bore 
With  patient  love  the  touch  that  wounded  sore; 

127 


Friendship,     Love,     Company 

Until  at  length,  so  had  my  blindness  grown, 
He  knew  I  judged  him  by  his  faults  alone. 

Alone,  of  all  men,  I  knew  him  best, 
Refused  the  gold,  to  take  the  dross  for  test ! 
Cold  strangers  honored  for  the  worth  they  saw; 
His  friend  forgot  the  diamond  in  the  flaw. 

At  last  it  came — the  day  he  stood  apart 
When  from  my  eyes  he  proudly  veiled  his  heart ; 
When  carping  judgment  and  uncertain  word, 
A  stern  resentment  in  his  bosom  stirred; 
When  in  his  face  I  read  what  I  had  been, 
And  with  his  vision  saw  what  he  had  seen. 

Too  late !  too  late !     Oh,  could  he  then  have  known. 
When  his  love  died,  that  mine  had  perfect  grown. 
That  when  the  veil  was  drawn,  abased,  chastised. 
The  censor  stood  the  lost  one  truly  prized. 
Too  late  we  learn — a  man  must  hold  his  friend 
Unjudged,  accepted,  trusted  to  the  end. 

'^ohn  Boyle  O'Reilly. 


128 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Waty  to  Hatppiness. 

It  has  been  said  with  truth  that  there  is  more  love 
in  the  world  than  is  ever  spoken.  Equally  true  is  it 
that  there  is  more  happiness  in  the  world  than  there 
is  ever  spoken.  Listen  to  any  chance  conversation,  and 
the  probabilities  are  that  you  will  hear  dilated  upon 
in  its  details  some  misfortune,  some  accident,  some  try- 
ing or  annoying  circumstance,  or  some  sorrowful  event, 
while  it  is  the  great  exception  to  hear  a  minute  descrip- 
tion of  some  joyful  circumstance,  or  some  enduring 
happiness  that  has  come  into  life.  Perhaps  one  very 
reason  for  this  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  happiness 
so  greatly  exceeds  woe  in  the  world,  that  it  is  less 
vividly  realized. 

This  is  the  case  even  with  the  common,  outward 
events  of  life.  The  countless  safe  and  pleasant  jour- 
neys that  are  made  on  sea  or  land  are  taken  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  and  excite  no  remark.  But  let  a  single 
accident  happen,  and  it  is  immediately  telegraphed  to 
all  parts  of  the  country,  and  printed  in  all  the  news- 
papers of  the  land.  Or  a  family  lives  in  unbroken 
imity  for  years,  without  realizing  their  happiness,  but 
when  at  length  a  bereavement  comes,  how  strong  is  the 
impression  of  sorrow  upon  the  survivors!  Often  do 
we  hear  it  said:  "We  did  not  know  how  happy  we  were/' 
and  frequently  it  is  only  the  absence  of  something  that 
we  never  had  thought  of  that  reveals  its  true  precious- 
ness. 

The  abundance  of  light  and  air,  the  delights  of  the 
eye  and  the  ear,  the  security  of  our  homes,  our  peace- 
ful surroundings,  the  affection  of  our  friends  and 
countless  other  blessings  we  scarcely  think  of  in  their 
plenitude;  while  let  but  one  of  them  be  removed,  even 
for  a  brief  space,  and  our  woe  is  complete  and  over- 
shadowing. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  which  some  melancholy  people 
make  to  imagine  that  they  can  shed  happiness  around 

129 


The Way  to  Happiness 


them  while  permanently  sad  themselves.  We  cannot 
give  what  we  have  not  got.  It  is  the  bright  eye  and  the 
cheerful  smile  which  lights  up  the  face  of  another,  and 
the  sadness  which  cannot  be  concealed  is  equally  conta- 
gious. Marcus  Aurelius  said:  "It  is  not  seemly  that 
I,  who  willingly  have  brought  sorrow  to  none,  should 
permit  myself  to  be  sad.^^ 

It  will  also  help  us  to  realize  and  to  diffuse  the  hap- 
piness of  life,  to  speak  often  of  its  presence.  Expres- 
sion always  emphasizes  and  increases  its  subject,  what- 
ever that  may  be.  In  recalling  to  the  mind  of  another 
the  sources  of  joy  mutually  open  to  us,  we  bring  to  light 
much  happiness  that  was  hidden,  and  give  it  new  life 
and  vigor  in  a  new  consciousness. 

Let  those  who  are  fond  of  reciting  their  woes  think 
of  this,  and  cease  to  drop  the  poison  of  sadness  into  the 
cup  of  life  which  all  must  drink.  Let  us,  on  the  con- 
trary, generously  pour  out  upon  other  hearts  all  the 
gladness,  the  brightness,  the  joy  which  we  feel,  and 
open  up  to  them  all  the  sources  of  it  that  we  have  found. 
Thus  in  the  consciousness  alike  of  ourselves  and  others 
a  true  happiness  m.ay  be  realized,  too  deep  to  be  dis- 
turbed, and  too  strong  to  be  broken  down. 

The  happiness  of  your  life  depends  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  your  thoughts. — Marcus  Aurelius. 

There  are  persons  who  will  work  for  the  good  of  their 
fellow-creatures,  who  will  give  money  and  time,  labor 
and  thought  to  reforms  and  schemes  for  general  wel- 
fare, who  will  not  hesitate  to  make  sacrifices,  to  perform 
benevolent  and  kindly  actions,  but  who  never  give  free 
and  hearty  utterance  to  the  gladness  that  they  feel  or 
the  pleasures  they  enjoy.  It  is  not  that  they  intend  to 
deprive  anyone  of  happiness,  but  they  do  not  realize 
how  much  they  could  thus  bestow.  While  trying  in 
many  ways  to  give  light  and  warmth  to  their  fellow- 
creatures  they  bottled  up  their  own  sunshine,  forgetting 
that  its  influence  might  extend  far  and  wide.  Such 
pernicious  silence  should  be  broken  at  the  risk  of  being 
called  a  chatterbox.  If  the  day  is  fair,  and  the  air 
pure  and  clear,  why  not  emphasize  the  fact;  if  we  see 
any  beauty  why  not  point  it  out ;  if  we  feel  any  joy  let 
us  hasten  to  show  it,  and  if  we  have  received  any  good, 
let  us  freely  express  it,  and  the  result  is  a  free,  happy, 
generous  disposition,  which  brings  most  perfect  serenity 
to  every  life. 

Almost  anyone  can  mention  things  for  which  we 
should  be  grateful,  such  as  home,  friends,  the  right  use 
of  all  our  faculties,  etc.,  but  few  are  so  discerning  as 


180 


The  Way  to  Happiness, 

to  note  that  even  apparent  misfortune  and  affliction 
may  prove  blessings.  When  a  disappointment  shocks 
us,  when  trouble  smites  us,  when  sorrow  unseals  the 
tear-fonts,  who  then  can  be  grateful  ?  And  yet  all 
chastisement  is  for  our  good,  and  proves  that  we  are 
loved  of  the  Lord. 

Life,  even  in  bondage  or  suffering,  is  more  desirable 
to  most  people  than  death.  But  how  many  robust, 
sound,  vigorous  men  there  are  who  are  full  of  discon- 
tent, forgetful  that  their  sinewy  frames  are  boons  for 
which  many  a  millionaire  would  give  all  his  wealth. 
There  is  a  glow  and  an  exhilaration  in  health  which 
makes  life  a  song  and  a  delight.  Mere  existence  be- 
comes luxury.  And  yet  there  are  thousands  of  people 
who  have  never  had  a  sick  day  in  all  their  lives,  who 
never  thought  to  say,  "Thank  God." 

You  find  yourself  refreshed  by  the  presence  of  cheer- 
ful people.  Why  not  make  earnest  effort  to  confer  that 
pleasure  on  others?  An  effort  made  for  the  happiness 
of  others  lifts  us  above  ourselves. — Lydia  Maria  Child. 

If  happiness  is  the  rarest  of  blessings,  it  is  because  the 
reception  of  it  is  the  rarest  of  virtues. — Attic  Philoso- 
pher. 

The  happiness  of  man  in  this  life  does  not  consist  in 
the  absence,  but  in  the  mastery  of  his  passions. 

Next  to  the  sunlight  of  heaven  is  the  sunlight  of  a 
cheerful  face.  There  is  no  mistaking  it — the  bright 
eye,  the  unclouded  brow,  the  sunny  smile — all  tell  of 
that  which  dwells  within.  Who  has  not  felt  its  electri- 
fying influence?  One  glance  at  this  face  lifts  us  at 
once  out  of  the  arms  of  despair;  out  of  the  mists  and 
shadows,  away  from  tears  and  repining,  into  the  beau- 
tiful realms  of  hope.  One  cheerful  face  in  a  household 
will  keep  everything  bright  and  warm  within.  Envy, 
hatred,  malice,  selfishness,  and  a  host  of  evil  passions 
may  lurk  around  the  door,  they  may  even  look  within, 
but  they  never  enter  or  abide  there;  the  cheerful  face 
will  put  them  all  to  shame  and  flight.  It  may  be  a 
very  plain  face,  but  there  is  something  in  it  we  feel  we 
cannot  express,  and  its  cheery  smile  sends  the  blood 
dancing  through  our  veins  for  very  joy ;  we  turn  toward 
the  sun,  and  its  warm  genial  influence  refreshes  and 
strengthens  our  fainting  spirit.  Ah !  there  is  a  world  of 
magic  in  the  plain  cheerful  face !  It  charms  us  with  a 
spell  of  eternity,  and  we  would  not  exchange  it  for  all 
the  soulless  beauty  that  ever  graced  the  fairest  form  on 
earth.  It  may  be  a  very  little  face — one  that  we  nestle 
upon  our  bosom,  or  sing  to  sleep  in  our  arms,  with  a  low, 

131 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

sweet  lullaby;  but  it  is  such  a  bright  cheery  face!  The 
scintilations  of  a  joyous  spirit  are  flashing  from  every 
feature.  And  what  a  power  it  has  over  the  household, 
binding  each  heart  together  in  tenderness  and  love  and 
sympathy.  Shadows  may  darken  around  us,  but  some- 
how this  face  ever  shines  between,  and  the  shining  is  so 
bright,  that  the  shadows  cannot  remain,  and  silentlj? 
creep  away  into  the  dark  corners,  until  the  cheerful  face 
is  gone.  It  may  be  a  wrinkled  face,  but  it  is  all  the 
dearer  for  that,  and  none  the  less  bright.  We  linger 
near  it,  and  gaze  tenderly  upon  it,  and  say,  "Heaven 
bless  this  happy  face !"  We  must  keep  it  with  us  as 
long  as  we  can,  for  home  will  lose  much  of  its  bright- 
ness when  that  face  is  gone. 

The  greatest  reward?     Gratitude. 

The  greatest  blessing?     Health. 

The  greatest  work  ?     Godliness. 

The  greatest  wonder?     Ourselves. 

The  greatest  service  ?     To  be  trusted. 

The  greatest  burden  ?     That  borne  •  in  silence. 

The  greatest  aim?  To  form  ideals  and  live  up  to 
them. 

The  greatest  path?  Duty — that  most  difficult  to 
traverse. 

The  greatest  jewel?  An  earthly  sunbeam  whose 
light  never  fades. 

The  greatest  power  ?  That  which  is  used  not  for 
self-gain. 

The  greatest  task?  To  learn  to  suffer  without  com- 
plaining. 

The  greatest  o-rief?     The  snapping  of  a  life's  link. 

The  greatest  happiness?  Peace  and  contentment  in 
the  home. 

The  greatest  voice  ?  That  which  is  silent  when  spite 
is  nigh. 

The  greatest  riches?  To  be  worthy  of  the  love  of 
faithful  friends. 

The  greatest  misfortune  ?  To  be  in  the  drink  demon's 
clutches. 

The  greatest  failure?  That  for  want  of  courage 
wrought. 

The  greatest  crown?     That  borne  without  a  stain. 

The  greatest  folly?     Pride  and  its  brother,  deceit. 

The  greatest  victory?  That  gained  over  anger's 
flame. 

The  greatest  sacrifice?     Self-denial  for  others'  gain. 

The  greatest  longing?  To  leave  the  world  a  little 
better  for  having  lived  in  it. 

133 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

As  a  brook  brightens  by  stumbling  over  stones,  so  a 
soul  is  beautified  by  resisting  temptation. — St.  Augus^ 
tine. 

To  serve  God.  Herein  lies  true  happiness,  the  hap- 
piness of  yesterday,  the  happiness  of  to-day,  the  happi- 
ness of  all  days.  But  we  must  know  this,  and  w^hen 
we  know  this,  we  must  act.  Many  never  know  it,  and 
of  those  who  know  it,  many  never  commence  to  act;  of 
those  who  commence  many  do  not  continue,  or  else  con- 
tinue so  feebly  that  their  search  for  happiness  serves 
merely  to  weary  and  disgust  them  still  more  with  their 
false  happiness;  that  is  with  their  real  unhappiness. 

"I  have  searched  for  happiness  in  the  elegant  life  of 
the  drawing-room,  in  sumptuous  banquets,  and  in  the 
dissipation  of  balls  and  theatres.  I  have  taken  part  in 
every  festival.  I  sought  for  it  also  in  the  possession  of 
gold,  in  the  excitement  of  gaming,  in  the  illusions  of 
marvelous  romances,  but  in  vain;  while  one  hour  spent 
in  visiting  a  sick  person,  in  consoling  one  in  affliction, 
in  helping  an  unfortunate  man,  has  sufficed  to  procure 
me  an  enjoyment  more  delicious  than  all  worldly  de- 
lights."— A  Young  Man,  quoted  by  the  Rev.  Fr.  Felix. 

Try  to  be  happy  in  the  very  present  moment,  and  put 
not  off  being  so  to  a  time  to  come,  as  though  that  time 
should  be  of  another  make,  from  this,  which  is  already 
come,  and  is  ours. — Fuller. 

The  happiness  of  life  depends  very  much  on  little 
things;  and  one  can  be  brave  and  great  and  good  while 
making  small  sacrifices  and  doing  small  duties  faith- 
fully and  cheerfully. — Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

Happiness  is  a  perfume  that  one  cannot  shed  over 
another  without  a  few  drops  falling  on  one's  self. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  people  who  are  pleasant,  af- 
fable and  kind ;  who  do  not  seek  to  extinguish  you  with 
disdain  or  humiliate  you  with  indifference.  People 
can  be  over-pleasant  as  well  as  overbearing,  but  the  for- 
mer is  infinitely  preferable.  Habit  has  something  to 
do  with  a  man's  behavior,  although  disposition  is  the 
stronger  element — certainly,  when  men  have  contracted 
habits  of  pride  and  insolence  that  are  almost  brutal. 
Money  enters  into  the  life  of  some  men  and  makes  them 
haughty  and  overbearing,  who.  lacking  it,  would  have 
been  kind  and  considerate.  Jesus  inveighed  most 
strongly  against  pride  and  haughtiness,  and  said  the 
publican  was  justified  rather  than  the  proud  Pharisee, 
for  all  the  lengthy  prayers  of  the  latter.  In  view  of  the 
shortness  of  life  and  its  manv  unavoidable  cares  and 
troubles,  we  think  it  is  a  wise  thing  to  cultivate  a  pleas- 

133 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

ant  manner  toward  all.  "Oh,  why  should  the  spirit  of 
mortal  be  proud  ?'^  must  be  an  inscrutable  puzzle  from 
any  true  and  just  point  of  view.  "Pride  goeth  before 
destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall,"  is  as 
true  to-day  as  in  the  long  ago  when  it  was  written.  Pope 
calls  pride  "the  never-failing  vice  of  fools/'  and  wisely, 
too.  There  is  in  pride  and  hauteur  a  disennobling  of 
men  beyond  computation.  If  pride  is  not  vice,  it  can 
lay  little  claim  to  virtue.  Why,  then,  be  proud  and 
haughty?  Rich  or  poor,  high  or  low,  should  shun  its 
narrowing  spirit,  and  learn  to  practice  a  pleasant  man- 
ner, a  courteous  spirit  of  kindness  toward  all  whom  we 
may  meet  in  this  transitory  world. — Alexander  Macau- 
ley. 

It  is  the  temper  of  the  highest  hearts,  like  the  palm- 
tree,  to  strive  most  upward  when  most  burdened. — Sir 
Philip  Sidney. 

It  is  seldom  people  are  conscious  of  their  actual  bless- 
ings !  Not  that  they  are  ignored  through  positive  and 
perverse  ingratitude,  but  partly  from  sheer  want  of  re- 
flection, partly  because  custom  steals  the  value  from  the 
boon  which  we  habitually  receive.  And  yet,  how  bounti- 
fully those  simple,  daily  blessings  are  showered  down 
upon  the  poorest,  humblest,  saddest  of  us  all ! 

Those  persons  upon  whom  the  golden  rays  of  pros- 
perity descend  in  unbroken  floods,  are  frequently  less 
cognizant  than  all  others  of  the  opulent  store  of  benefits 
poured  out  upon  them. 

The  fatal  illusion  from  which  we  suffer  is  that  riches 
are  what  you  carry  in  your  purse,  not  what  you  have 
in  your  heart.  The  eternal  fact  is  that  health  is  better 
than  a  gold  mine,  and  yet  we  spend  the  health  to  get 
the  mine  and  then,  when  it  is  too  late,  would  be  glad 
to  give  the  mine  for  health. 

Almost  everybody  wishes  to  be  rich,  but  riches  mean 
very  different  things  to  different  people.  If  you  give 
its  highest  and  best  definition  you  discover  that  some 
whom  the  world  calls  poor  are  really  wealthy  and  some 
whom  the  world  envies  on  account  of  their  possessions 
are  really  "poor  indeed." 

The  man  of  millions  may  have  that  in  his  soul  which 
is  worth  more  than  his  bank  account,  the  poor  man  may 
have  poverty  of  soul  as  well  as  of  purse.  The  real 
riches  are  those  which  you  can  take  with  you  when  you 
go.  They  cannot  be  left  to  your  heirs.  They  are  yours 
alone,  and  neither  life  nor  death  can  deprive  you  of 
them. 

184 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

It  is  a  useful,  a  holy,  a  heart  expanding  practice,  to 
ponder  over,  and  sum  up,  daily,  the  manifest  blessings 
which  have  been  accorded  us,  and  which  we  would  not 
willingly  forego !  How  great  will  even  those  who  cry  out 
that  they  have  received  few,  or  none,  find  their  allotted 
share !     Try  the  experiment,  and  see  if  this  be  not  so ! 

Eesolve  that  it  shall  be  one  of  the  daily  duties  of 
your  life,  one  of  its  indispensable  employments,  to  seek 
out  and  sum  up  each  day^s  blessing. 

St.  Charles  Borromeo  struggled  through  great  diffi- 
culties in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  without  ever  be- 
traying the  least  impatience.  A  friend  who  highly  ad- 
mired these  virtues,  which  he  thought  it  impossible  to 
imitate,  one  day  asked  the  prelate  if  he  could  communi- 
cate the  secret  of  being  always  quiet  and  happy. 

"Yes,'^  he  replied,  "I  can  teach  you  my  secret  and 
with  great  pleasure.  It  consists  in  nothing  more  than 
in  making  a  right  use  of  my  eyes." 

His  friend  begged  him  to  explain  himself. 

"Most  willingly,'^  answered  the  archbishop.  "In  what- 
ever state  I  am  I  first  look  up  to  heaven,  and  I  remem- 
ber that  my  principal  aim  here  is  to  get  there.  I  then 
look  down  upon  the  earth,  and  call  to  mind  how  small  a 
space  I  shall  occupy  in  it.  I  then  look  abroad  into  the 
world  and  observe  what  multitudes  there  are  more  un- 
happy than  myself.  Thus  I  learn  where  true  happiness 
is  placed,  where  all  our  cares  must  end,  and  how  very 
little  reason  I  have  to  repine  or  complain." 

He  is  not  rich  that  hath  much,  but  he  that  hath 
enough;  nor  he  poor  that  hath  but  little,  but  he  that 
wants  more. — Warwich. 

An  old  philosopher  had  a  maxim,  "That  happiness 
consists  not  in  a  state  of  possession,  but  of  desire;  so 
that  when  all  wishes  have  been  gratified,  and  we  have 
nothing  left  to  long  for,  we  are  really  further  from  be- 
ing happy  than  we  were  in  the  beginning." 

In  worldly  pursuits,  happiness  lies  rather  in  the  de- 
sire and  anticipation  of  a  thing  than  in  its  actual  pos- 
session. It  is,  therefore,  a  wise  dispensation  of  Provi- 
dence which  ordains  that  all  our  desires  shall  never  be 
gratified,  and  that  we  shall  always  have  something  to 
wish  for. 

There  was  once  a  young  prince  of  Abyssinia,  who  had 
but  to  express  a  desire  in  order  to  secure  its  satisfac- 
tion. 

Heir  to  vast  riches,  he  spent  his  youthful  days  in 
luxurious  idleness  beneath  the  soft  skies  of  a  southern 
clime.     Master  of  a  thousand  slaves,  his  wishes  were 

18B 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

anticipated,  and  his  commands  executed  with  diligence 
and  devotion. 

Health  crowned  all  the  other  gifts  and  blessings 
which  Heaven  had  lavished  on  this  favored  being.  Sure- 
ly he,  of  all  mortals,  had  most  reason  to  be  happy.  And 
yet  he  was  of  all  men  the  most  completely  miserable. 
None  of  the  many  pleasures  at  his  command  seemed  to 
fill  his  heart  or  satisfy  his  reason,  and  every  new  grati' 
fication  left  behind  it  increased  bitterness  and  disgust. 

Filled  by  an  infinite  weariness,  he  left  his  princely 
home,  and  in  a  mean  disguise  went  forth  among  men,  to 
find  whether  less  favored  mortals  had  attained  that  hap- 
piness which  had  always  eluded  his  grasp.  Here  in  a 
modified  form  he  found  the  same  spirit  of  discontent 
and  unrest — men  laboring  for  years  to  achieve  an  ob- 
ject, and  disappointed  with  the  result  when  they  had 
attained  it.  But  as  their  desires  were  fewer,  and  their 
opportunities  of  gratification  less  numerous,  they  al- 
ways imagined  that  happiness  lay  in  the  pleasures  that 
they  had  not  vet  tasted ;  and,  though  all  their  past  joys 
had  been  more  delightful  in  the  expectation  than  in  the 
reality,  they  were  convinced  that  the  gratification  of 
their  present  desire  would  make  them  supremely  happy. 
They  were  happier  than  the  prince,  because  he  had  ex- 
hausted every  joy,  and  knew  the  hoUowness  of  all; 
whereas  they  had  something  to  hope  for,  and  believed 
that  their  latest  desire  would  secure  them  what  every 
preceding  one  had  failed  to  do. 

In  our  disappointed  and  unreasonable  moments  it 
would  be  well  to  remember  the  Abyssinian  prince,  and 
the  lesson  of  his  experience. 

Even  he  might  have  secured,  if  not  perfect  happiness, 
at  least  a  reasonable  measure  of  contentment  if  he  had 
adopted  the  right  method. 

All  true  happiness,  according  to  the  Christian  idea, 
is  founded  on  peace  of  conscience.  Do  not  make  the 
mistake  of  supposing  that  anything  else  in  this  world 
can  render  you  really  happy.  As  we  have  seen,  it  is  not 
in  the  power  of  wealth,  fame  or  honors  to  confer  this 
priceless  blessing.  All  these  may  indeed  afford  a  mo- 
mentary intoxication,  but  this  soon  passes  away  and 
leaves  an  after-sense  of  bitterness  too  deep  for  utterance. 

The  pleasures  of  this  world,  like  the  fruit  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  wear  an  attractive  appearance;  but,  like  it  also, 
they  are  wormwood  to  the  taste  and  ashes  to  the  touch. 

Duty,  faithfully  performed,  is  the  only  real  way  to 
happiness.  No  matter  how  mean  or  small  or  trivial 
the  work  may  be,  if  it  can  only  be  classed   under  the 

ise 


I 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

sacred  head  of  duty,  its  conscientious  discharge  conveys 
a  deep  and  abiding  happiness;  the  most  delightful  emo- 
tion, and  the  most  satisfying  we  shall  ever  experience 
in  this  world.  It  is  better  to  perform  well  one's  par- 
ticular duty  than  it  would  be  to  achieve  the  grandest 
and  most  heroic  action  recorded  in  the  world's  history. 
There  is  no  nobler  word  known  to  human  speech  than 
duty;  there  is  no  nobler  spectacle  in  human  life  than 
its  performance. 

We  shut  our  eyes  to  the  beginnings  of  evil  because 
they  are  small,  and  in  this  weakness  is  contained  the 
germ  of  our  defeat;  how  different  they  who  gain  the 
strength  of  the  temptation  they  resist. 

Everything  contributes  to  try  you,  but  God  who  loves 
you,  will  not  permit  you  to  be  tempted  beyond  your 
strength.  He  will  make  use  of  the  temptation  for  your 
advancement. — Fenelon, 

It  is  the  little  pleasures  which  make  life  sweet,  as  the 
little  displeasures  may  do  more  than  afflictions  can  to 
make  it  bftter. — N.  A.  Tincker. 

There  is  somehmg  better  for  us  in  the  world  than 
happiness.  We  will  take  happiness  as  the  incident  of 
this,  gladly  and  gratefully.  We  will  add  a  thousand 
fold  to  the  happiness  of  the  present  in  the  fearlessness 
of  the  future  which  it  brings;  but  we  will  not  place 
happiness  first,  and  thus  cloud  our  heads  with  doubts, 
and  fill  our  hearts  with  discontent.  In  the  blackest 
soils  grow  the  richest  flowers,  and  the  loftiest  and 
strongest  trees  spring  heavenward  among  the  rocks. — 
J.  G.  Holland. 

Fortify  yourself  with  contentment,  for  this  is  an  im- 
pregnable fortress. — Epictetus. 

The  happiness  of  man  lies  in  pursuing,  not  possessing.   Y 
— Longfellow. 

Talk  happiness;  the  world  is  sad  enough  without  your 
woes. 

Go  from  world  to  world,  from  kingdom  to  kingdom, 
from  riches  to  riches,  from  pleasure  to  pleasure, — you 
will  never  find  happiness.  The  whole  earth  can  no 
more  satisfy  an  immortal  soul,  than  a  pinch  of  meal 
can  satiate  a  famished  man. 

You  cannot  prevent  the  birds  of  sadness  from  flying 
over  your  head;  but  you  can  prevent  them  from  build- 
ing their  nests  there. 

To  smile  at  the  jest  which  plants  a  thorn  in  another's 
breast  is  to  become  a  principal  in  the  mischief. — Sheri- 
dan. 

187 


The  Way  to  Happiness. 

We  smile  at  the  ignorance  of  the  savage  who  cuts 
down  the  tree  in  order  to  reach  its  fruits.  But  the  fact 
is  that  a  blunder  of  this  description  is  made  by  every 
person  who  is  over-eager  and  impatient  in  the  pursuit 
of  pleasure. 

Surely,  if  we  want  to  be  happy  in  this  world  of  per- 
plexities, and  of  visions  too,  the  only  way  is  to  be  self- 
less; our  lives  then  unconsciously  express  themselves  in 
big  and  little  noble  deeds  through  our  selflessness. 

Happiness  is  a  state  of  mind — more  active  than  con- 
tentment, less  pronounced  and  more  abiding  than  joy- 
fulness;  whose  principal  and  permanent  source  is  in  a 
temperament  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  what  is; 
whose  immediate  occasion  is  in  a  consciousness  which, 
pleased  with  the  present,  is  without  acute  regret  or  un- 
due apprehension. 

Happiness  is  a  matter  of  choice  rather  than  of  chance. 
There  is  sunshine  if  you  will  take  it,  and  shade  if  you 
prefer  it.  But  we  have  noticed  that  when  lives  are 
spent  in  the  shadow,  the  flowers  of  love  and  sympathy 
open  reluctantly,  and  the  fruits  ripen  imperfectly.  With 
a  sunshiny  world  to  choose  from,  it  is  a  pity  that  we 
should  dwarf  and  destroy  the  possibilities  of  our  na- 
tures by  spending  our  days  in  shadow. 

If  you  do  not  think  much  of  your  small  trials,  you 
will  talk  little  of  them,  and  so  your  friends  will  be 
spared  a  trouble  as  well  as  yourself. 

Next  to  making  complaints  there  is  nothing  so  un- 
profitable as  listening  to  them.  Learn  to  forget.  For- 
get the  slights,  errors  in  taste,  gossip  and  scandals  you 
see  or  hear.  Forget  to  remember  the  wrongs  you  have 
had  to  meet,  as  soon  as  you  have  done  your  best  to 
straighten  them  out.  Forget  worries,  small  and  great. 
They  only  wear  out  heart  and  brain.  Forget  humilia- 
tions, cares  and  trials.  Let  your  mind  and  heart  be 
filled  with  the  goodness  and  Justice  and  beauty  that  are 
in  the  world.  Do  not  be  like  the  soldier  who  has  fought 
one  hard  battle,  and  who  spends  the  rest  of  his  life 
thinking  and  telling  about  it. 

Temptations  are  the  crises  which  tempt  the  strength 
of  one's  character.  Whether  we  stand  or  fall  at  these 
crises  depends  largely  on  what  we  are  before  the  testing 
comes. 

We  should  blush  with  shame  to  show  so  much  resent- 
ment for  what  is  done  or  said  against  us;  knowing  that 
so  many  injuries  and  affronts  have  been  offered  to  our 
Redeemer  and  the  Saints. — St.  Teresa, 


The  Way  to  Happiness, 

False  happiness  renders  men  stern  and  proud,  and 
that  happiness  is  never  communicated.  True  happiness 
renders  them  kind  and  sensible,  and  that  is  always 
shared. 

The  true  way  to  conquer  temptations  is  not  to  fight 
them  in  detail,  but  to  go  up  into  a  loftier  region,  where 
they  cease  to  be  temptations.  How  is  it  that  men  do 
not  long  for  the  sweetmeats  that  used  to  tempt  them 
when  they  were  children?  They  have  outgrown  them. 
Then  outgrow  the  temptations  of  the  world !  How  is  it 
that  there  are  no  mosquitoes  or  malaria  on  the  moun- 
tain tops?  They  cannot  rise  above  the  level  of  the 
swamps  by  the  river.  Go  up  to  the  mountain  top  and 
neither  malaria  nor  mosquitoes  will  follow  you — which 
being  interpreted  is,  go  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  in 
the  tabernacle,  there  ask  Him  to  keep  your  hearts  and 
minds  occupied  with  Him,  and  you  will  dwell  in  a  re- 
gion of  bliss  high  above  the  temptations  that  buzz  and 
sting,  infest  and  slay,  on  the  lower  levels. 

Shun  pleasure.  Its  price  is  pain  and  it  makes  one 
an  exile  from  high  thoughts  and  noble  deeds. — Bt.  Rev. 
J.  L.  Spalding. 

He  alone  is  happy  who  drinks  from  a  fountain  of  joy 
that  wells  within  his  own  bosom. — Ibid. 

That  submission  to  one's  lot  means  that  one  should 
sit  helplessly  before  sorrow  and  disappointment  while 
weeks  and  months  pass  by,  is  a  terrible  misajiprehension. 
Life  should  be  growth.  These  trials  come  to  us  that 
we  may  conquer  them,  wrest  power  from  them.  To 
yield  faint-heartedly  is  surely  ignoble,  for  there  is  no 
life  so  barren,  or  hard,  or  sorrowful,  that  it  does  not 
hold  some  door  to  wider  living,  if  we  will  but  seek  it. 

Is  it  loneliness  that  closes  about  us  and  shuts  joy 
from  our  days?  Have  we  tried  honestly  and  patiently 
to  touch  other  lonely  lives?  Is  it  because  we  have  no 
time  for  study  that  life  seems  so  hard  and  barren?  A 
friend  of  working  girls  advised  them  to  learn  a  poem  as 
they  went  to  and  from  their  work  instead  of  simply 
reading  street  car  advertisements.  A  verse,  a  line  of 
poetry,  a  single  noble  thought  every  day — who  of  us 
could  not  make  time  for  this,  if  we  would?  And  how 
rich  a  harvest  one  short  year  would  give  us !  Is  it  pov- 
erty that  is  eating  the  gladness  from  our  days?  It  is 
hard :  but  there  are  things  within  our  reach  that  no  gold 
could  purchase  us — friendship,  the  power  of  an  upright 
life,  the  joy  of  earth  and  sky.  Dare  we,  with  all  we 
have  within  reach,  bemoan  our  poverty? — Frank  H. 
Sweet,  in  Home  and  Flowers. 


The  Way  to  Happiness, 

Happiness  does  not  consist  in  the  indulgence  of  the 
senses,  but  in  the  calm  of  a  pure  conscience  and  without 
reproach.  In  order  to  be  happy,  it  is  then  necessary  to 
have  this  thought  always,  that  virtue  even  with  its  sac- 
rifices is  a  source  of  felicitv,  whilst  vice,  even  with  its 
charms,  does  not  lead  to  happiness. — St.  Ambrose. 

If  each  did  a  little  towards  increasing  human  happi- 
ness, the  world  would  be  far  better  than  it  is,  for  Mercy 
blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes. 

There  are  things  that  the  poor  prize  more  highly 
than  gold,  though  they  cost  the  donor  nothing;  among 
these  are,  the  kind  word,  the  gentle  compassionate  look, 
and  the  patient  hearing  of  their  sorrows.  Each  one  can 
do  much  to  alleviate  misery  and  increase  happiness. 

The  Man  Worth  While. 

^Tis  easy  enough  to  be  pleasant 
When  life  flows  along  like  a  song, 

But  the  man  worth  while 

Is  the  one  who  will  smile 
When  everything  goes  dead  wrong. 

For  the  test  of  the  heart  is  trouble, 
And  it  always  comes  with  the  years, 

And  the  smile  that  is  worth 

The  praise  of  the  earth 
Is  the  smile  that  comes  through  tears. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  be  prudent 
When  nothing  tempts  you  to  stray, 

When  without  or  within 

No  voice  of  sin 
Is  luring  your  soul  away. 

But  it^s  only  a  negative  virtue 
Until  it  is  tried  by  fire. 

And  the  life  that  is  worth 

The  honor  of  earth 
Is  the  one  that  resists  desire. 

By  the  cynic,  the  sad,  the  fallen. 
Who  had  no  strength  for  the  strife, 

The  world's  highway 

Is  cumbered  to-day; 
They  make  up  the  item  of  life. 

But  the  virtue  that  conquers  passion, 
And  the  sorrow  that  hides  in  a  smile — 

It  is  these  that  are  worth 

The  honor  of  earth, 
For  we  find  them  but  once  in  a  while. 

140 


CHAPTEK  X. 
Patience,  Humility,  Resignation. 

How  poor  are  they  that  have  not  patience ! 
What  wound  did  ever  heal,  but  by  degrees? 

— Shakespeare. 
Contentment  is  a  pearl  of  great  price,  and  whoever 
procures  it  at  the     expense  of  ten    thousand    desires, 
makes  a  wise  and  happy  purchase. — Balguy. 

Wondrous  is  the  strength  of  cheerfulness. — Carlyle, 

The  joy  that  comes  in  sorrow's  guise, 
The  sweet  pains  of  self-sacrifice, 
I  would  not  have  them  otherwise. 

— Whittier. 

Each  man  can  learn  something  from  his  neighbor; 
at  least  he  can  learn  this — ^to  have  patience  with  his 
neighbor,  to  live  and  let  live. — C.  Kingsley. 

If  a  man  cannot  attain  to  the  length  of  his  wishes, 
he  may  have  his  remedy  by  cutting  them  shorter. — A. 
Cowley. 

The  best  thing  to  take  people  out  of  their  own  wor- 
ries is  to  go  to  work  and  find  out  how  other  folks'  wor- 
ries are  getting  on. — Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney. 

It  is  easy  not  to  steal  and  not  to  lie,  but  it  is  not  easv 
to  keep  from  losing  patience,  and  getting  envious,  and 
wanting  to  have  our  own  way. — A.  H.  R. 

Patience?  Why,  'tis  the  soul  of  peace;  of  all  the  vir- 
tues 'tis  the  nearest  kin  to  Heaven. — DehJcer. 

Great  is  he  who  enjoys  his  earthenware  as  if  it  were 
plate,  and  not  less  great  is  the  man  to  whom  all  his 
plate  is  no  more  than  earthenware. — Seneca. 

Humility  is  eldest-born  of  Virtue, 
And  claims  the  birthright  at  the  throne  of  heaven. 

— Murphy's  Zoheide. 

Ml 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

Humility  leads  to  the  highest  distinction,  because  it 
leads  to  self-improvement.  Study  your  own  characters ; 
endeavor  to  learn  and  supply  your  own  deficiencies; 
never  assume  to  yourelves  qualities  which  you  do  not 
possess;  combine  all  this  with  energy  and  activity. — 
Brodie. 

True  resignation,  which  always  brings  with  it  the 
confidence  that  unchangeable  goodness  will  make  even 
the  disappointment  of  our  hopes  and  the  contradictions 
of  life  conducive  to  some  benefit,  casts  a  grave  but  tran- 
quil light  over  the  prospects  of  even  a  toilsome  and 
troubled  life. — Humboldt. 

Whatever  real  merit  you  have  leave  for  others  to  dis- 
cover, for  people  magnify  their  own  discoveries  and  be- 
little those  of  others. 

Never  be  discouraged  because  good  things  go  on  so 
slowly  here,  and  never  fail  daily  to  do  that  good  which 
lies  next  to  your  hand.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry,  but  be 
diligent.  Enter  into  the  sublime  patience  of  the  Lord. 
Be  charitable  in  view  of  it.  God  can  afford  to  wait; 
why  cannot  we,  since  we  have  Him  to  fall  back  upon? 
Let  Patience  have  her  perfect  work,  and  bring  forth  her 
celestial  fruits.  Trust  to  God  to  weave  your  little 
thread  into  a  web,  though  the  patterns  show  it  not  yet. 

Nothing  is  worthy  of  contempt  merely  because  it  is 
weak. 

Calmness  in  the  thought  indicates  the  strength  of  the 
intellect. — Maurice  de  Gu&rin. 

Be  patient  and  wait; 

In  every  strait 

God's  mercy  is  certain,  and  never  too  late. 

Forget  not  in  fear 

That  One  lingers  near. 

To  help  and  protect  you — 

Be  patient  and  wait. 

The  saddest  birds  a  season  find  to  sing; 

The  roughest  storm  a  calm  may  soon  allay. 

— Southwell. 
A  wild  intoxication  of  self-sacrifice,  contempt  for 
death,  the  thirst  for  eternity,  the  delirium  of  love— - 
these  are  what  the  unalterable  gentleness  of  the  Cruci- 
fied has  had  power  to  bring  forth.  By  His  pardon  of 
His  executioners,  and  by  that  unconquerable  sense  in 
Him  of  an  indissoluble  union  with  God,  Jesus,  on  His 
Cross,  kindled  an  inextinguishable  fire  and  revolution- 
ized the  world.     He  proclaimed  and  realized  salvation 

142 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

by  faith  in  the  infinite  mercy,  and  in  the  pardon  granted 
to  simple  repentance.  By  His  saying  "There  is  more 
joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth  than  over 
ninety  and  nine  just  persons,  who  need  no  repentance/' 
He  made  humility  the  gate  of  entrance  into  Paradise. — 
Henri  Fredrijc  Amiel. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  a  sweet  and  gentle  person 
comes  to  the  evening  of  life  unembittered  by  experience, 
however  afflicting  that  experience  may  have  been,  and 
able  to  contemplate  the  Past  with  serenity,  the  Present 
with  tolerance  if  not  with  sympathy,  and  the  Future 
with  resignation  and  patient  hope. 

It  is  a  blessed  secret,  this  of  living  by  the  day.  Any- 
one can  carry  his  burden,  however  heavy,  till  nightfall. 
Anyone  can  do  his  work,  however  hard,  for  one  day. 
Anyone  can  live  sweetly,  patiently,  lovingly,  purely  till 
the  sun  goes  down.  And  this  is  all  that  life  ever  really 
means  to  us — just  one  little  day.  Do  to-day's  duty; 
fight  to-day's  temptations,  and  do  not  weaken  and  dis- 
tract yourself  by  looking  forward  to  things  you  cannot 
see,  and  could  not  understand  if  you  saw  them.  God 
gives  us  nights  to  shut  down  the  curtain  of  darkness  on 
our  little  days.  We  cannot  see  beyond.  Short  horizons 
make  life  easier,  and  give  us  one  of  the  blessed  secrets 
of  brave,  true,  holy  living. 

Death  did  not  first  strike  Adam,  the  first  rebel;  nor 
Cain,  the  first  hypocrite  and  murderer;  but  Abel,  the 
innocent  and  righteous.  Death  argues  not  displeasure, 
because  he  whom  God  loved  best  died  first  and  the  mur- 
derer was  punished  with  living. — Hall. 

Sense  shines  with  a  double  luster  when  set  in  humil- 
ity.— Penn. 

All  things  find  rest  after  their  journey's  end. — 
Michael  Angelo. 

Silence  is  the  safest  response  for  all  the  contradic- 
tions that  rise  from  impertinence,  vulgarity,  or  envy. 

Whatever  manner  of  death  may  take  us  from  earth, 
let  us  make  sure  of  God's  mercy,  which  alone  can  save 
us  in  the  hour  of  dissolution,  whether  forese^i  or  unex- 
pected. 

Gentleness  is  the  part  of  the  virtue  of  fortitude  by 
which  we  exercise  self-restraint  when  under  serious  prov- 
ocation to  anger.  It  requires  patience  and  forbearance. 
It  should  not  be  considered  timidity  or  weakness.  The 
gentle  man  avoids  offending  others;  but  none  braver 
than  he  in  keeping  others  from  offending  God. 

Sorrows  may  crush  you  if  you  let  them  fall  on  you 
wrongly,  but  if  you  bend  a  little  they  fall  on  the  earth 

143 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

and  pack  the  soil  more  firmly  about  your  roots,  give  you 
a  better  hold  on  earth  and  a  firmer  grip  toward  heaven. 
If  a  branch  is  lopped  off  perhaps  it  will  help  you  grow 
more  symmetrical.  Pruning  and  thinning  of  fruit 
makes  the  rest  of  the  yield  larger  and  more  luscious. — 
Fr.  SmuU&rs,  C.  S.  8.  R. 

A  truly  patient  man  bears,  with  the  same  evenness  of 
temper,  ignominious  trials  and  those  which  are  honora- 
ble. As  the  sting  of  bees  is  more  painful  than  that  of 
flies,  so  the  contradictions  we  experience  at  the  hands 
of  good  people  are  more  trying  than  those  which  come 
from  the  wicked. — St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

It  is  wanting  in  humility  to  wish  to  raise  ourselves 
to  sublime  things  before  being  called  to  them  by  God 
y  and  to  wish  to  be  Mary  before  having  labored  with  Mar- 
tha.— Life  of  St.  Teresa. 

No  school  is  more  necessary  to  children  than  that  of 
patience,  because  either  the  will  must  be  broken  in 
childhood  or  the  heart  in  old  age. 

Worry  is  a  state  of  spiritual  corrosion.  A  trouble 
either  can  be  remedied  or  it  cannot.  If  it  can  be,  then 
set  about  it;  if  it  cannot  be,  dismiss  it  from  conscious- 
ness, or  bear  it  so  bravely  that  it  may  become  trans- 
figured to  a  blessing. — Fr.  Gloyd. 

For  the  love  of  God  remain  calm  and  keep  an  unruf- 
fled demeanor.  Divine  Providence  permits  all;  receive 
with  a  good  grace  what  it  sends  you,  and  you  will  your- 
self be  astonished  at  soon  finding  yourself  pretty  happy 
in  that  which  is  now  a  torture  to  you.  Take  everything 
in  good  part,  the  words  spoken  to  us,  the  things  done  to 
us,  all  the  proceedings  of  others  that  concern  us. 

Extraordinary  afflictions  are  not  always  the  punish- 
ment of  extraordinary  sins,  but  sometimes  the  trial  of 
extraordinary  graces. — Matthew  Henry. 

There  are  lives  sown  in  out  of  the  way  places,  and 
carelessly  passed  by  as  weeds,  whose  blossoms  angels 
might  stoop  to  wear  in  the  whiteness  of  their  pure 
breasts. — Amher. 

Fiat  Voluntas  Tua. 

"Thy  will  be  done'^  is  the  sum  of  all  true  worship  and 
right  prayer.  The  rest  is  aside  from  the  divine  pur- 
pose, and  could  it  be  realized  would  make  the  world  a 
chaos  or  a  desert.  We  should  not  love  the  flowers  if  it 
were  always  spring;  and  our  purest  pleasures  would 
pall  did  not  pain  and  loss  come  to  teach  us  their  worth. 
— Rt.  Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding. 

144 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation, 

We  have  need  of  patience  with  ourselves  and  with 
others ;  for  the  greatest  things  and  the  least ;  against 
sudden  inroads  of  trouble,  and  against  our  daily  bur- 
dens; in  the  weariness  of  the  body,  or  the  wearing  of 
the  soul;  in  every-day  wants;  in  the  aching  of  sickness 
or  the  decay  of  age;  in  disappointments,  bereavements, 
losses,  injuries,  reproaches;  in  heaviness  of  the  heart, 
or  its  sickness  amid  delayed  hopes.  In  all  these  things 
from  childhood's  little  troubles  to  the  great  troubles 
through  life's  journey,  patience  is  the  grace  of  God, 
whereby  we  endure  evil  for  the  love  of  God.     .     .     . 

It  is  an  evident  sign  of  great  humility  to  desire  to  be 
little  esteemd,  to  be  persecuted  and  condemned,  though 
without  cause,  and  moreover,  to  make  no  defense,  but 
silently  bear  the  disgrace. — St.  Teresa. 

He  shall  be  honored  who  despises  and  flies  honors  for 
Jesus  Christ;  and  whosoever  shall  rejoice  in  being  de- 
spised and  humiliated  will  assuredly  be  exalted. — Ibid. 

When  people  speak  ill  of  you,  they  say  what  is  true; 
when  they  pay  you  compliments,  they  are  laughing  at 
you.  .  .  .  Which  is  best,  that  you  should  be  warned, 
or  that  you  should  be  misled?  that  you  should  be 
treated  seriously  or  in  joke? — Cure  of  Ars. 

If  you  desire  a  test  to  know  if  you  have  the  life  of 
the  Resurrection  in  you,  see  how  you  bear  yourself  to 
those  who  bear  you  ill  will.  They  are  among  your  best 
friends.  The  friends  who  love  you  and  speak  fair  and 
soft  things  to  you  are  not  friends  compared  with  those 
who  look  upon  you  with  sharp  eyes,  and  speak  with  cold 
voices,  and  bear  unkind  hearts.  They  try  what  you  are, 
they  try  your  patience,  the  spirit  of  your  humility, 
whether  you  have  a  crucified  will,  which  is  the  sure 
mark  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  you  have 
enemies,  look  to  see  all  that  is  good  in  them,  and  though 
you  cannot  be  blind  to  their  sin,  nevertheless,  in  your 
conduct  towards  all  who  are  sinful,  and  your  treatment 
of  sinners,  you  will  be  as  if  you  were  blind.  You  will 
be  even  as  our  Lord  is  to  you,  although  He  sees  every 
sin  in  you,  bears  with  you  with  an  inimitable  patience, 
never  sharpens  His  voice,  never  makes  a  gesture  of  im- 
patience, but  seeing  that  the  flax  is  not  yet  quenched 
and  the  reed  not  yet  broken.  He  bears  with  you  with  a 
divine  pity;  so  bear  with  your  enemies! 

The  men  who  learn  endurance  are  those  who  call  the 
world  brother. — Biclcens. 

Patience  is  bitter,  but  its  fruit  is  sweet. — Rousseau. 

Patience  is  a  necessary  ingredient  of  genius. — Earl 
of  Beaconsfleld. 

145 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation, 

A  most  important  means  to  acquire  gentleness  of 
heart  is  the  pious  custom  of  performing  all  our  actions 
and  uttering  all  our  words,  both  on  trifling  and  impor- 
tant occasions,  with  tranquillity  and  without  hurry.  Mul- 
tiply these  little  acts  as  often  as  possible  during  the 
time  of  tranquillity,  so  shall  you  lay  up  in  your  heart  a 
store  of  mildness  against  the  storm. — St.  Francis  de- 
Sales. 

When  we  step  across  the  drawbridge  of  death,  it  is 
no  foreign  land  we  enter,  but  our  native  home. — Stop- 
ford  A.  Brooke. 

Eather  say  we  are  the  dead,  not  they;  our  barks  are 
still  tempest  tossed  on  the  laboring  sea;  theirs  are  safe 
within  a  windless  haven,  moored  to  the  Rock  of  Ages. — 
Fr.  Woodward,  C.  S.  P. 

Death  is  the  only  physician,  the  shadow  of  his  valley 
the  only  journeying  that  will  cure  us  of  age  and  the 
gathering  fatigue  of  years. — George  Eliot. 

Each  separate  death  is  an  undisclosed  secret  between 
the  Creator  and  the  creature. — Faher. 

Fame  is  an  undertaker;  it  pays  but  little  attention  to 
the  living,  but  bedizens  the  dead,  furnishes  out  their 
funerals,  and  follows  them  to  the  grave. — Colton. 

There  are  two  things  which  ought  to  teach  us  to  think 
but  meanly  of  human  glory ;  the  very  best  have  had  their 
calumniators,  the  very  worst  their  panegyrists. — Colton. 

God  makes  a  threefold  appeal  to  every  soul:  He  asks 
it  to  act,  to  suffer,  to  pray — To  act  courageously  and 
unselfishly,  to  suffer  uncomplainingly,  to  pray  perseve- 
ringly,  never  disheartened  if  God  delays  to  answer. 

It  often  costs  more  to  revenge  injuries  than  to  bear 
them. 

Of  all  things  most  ignoble  is  complaint.  The  queru- 
lous are  stricken  with  disease. 

He  who  walks  the  path  of  humility  has  a  short  road 
to  heaven ;  he  has  wings  to  bear  him  to  Paradise ;  he  is 
in  the  way  of  peace  and  perfect  tranquility. — B.  Henry 
Suss. 

It  is  the  abnegation  of  self  which  has  wrought  out  all 
that  is  noble,  all  that  is  good,  all  that  is  useful,  nearly 
all  that  is  ornamental  in  the  world. 

It  is  a  fault,  not  a  virtue,  to  wish  your  humility  to  be 
recognized  and  applauded. — St.  Bernard. 

Meekness  is  a  rarer  virtue  than  charity.  It  is  more 
excellent  than  this  virtue,  being  the  fullness  of  charity, 
which  is  in  its  perfection  when  it  is  meek  and  beneficent. 
Meekness  is  a  virtue  which  supposes  a  noble  soul.  Those 
who  possess  it  are  superior  to  all  one  may  say  of  them 

146 


F  ati  enc  e  J        Humility,        Resignation. 

or  do  to  them.  Though  they  may  receive  indignities 
from  others  in  word  or  action,  they  preserve  their  tran- 
quality  and  lose  not  their  peace  of  soul.  We  must,  then, 
have  a  great  esteem  for  meekness  and  labor  to  acquire  it. 

Every  man  must  bear  his  own  burden,  and  it  is  a  fine 
thing  to  see  any  one  trying  to  do  it  manfully;  carrying 
his  cross  bravely,  silently,  patiently,  and  in  a  way  which 
makes  you  hope  that  he  has  taken  for  his  pattern  the 
greatest  of  all  Sufferers. — James  Hamilton. 

At  the  first  impulse  of  passion  be  silent  until  you  can 
be  soft. 

The  hardest  kind  of  work,  and  the  work  that  in  the 
sight  of  God  tells  most,  is  often,  perhaps  always,  the 
work  a  man  does  in  his  own  heart.  It  is  work  to  learn 
patience  and  self  control.  The  faith  that  overcomes 
the  world  is  often  the  result  of  a  still  greater  victory 
over  temptation  and  weakness,  achieved  not  at  one 
stroke,  but  after  a  long  and  severe  struggle  in  which 
every  step  of  vantage  ground  has  been  contested. 

What  we  need  most  of  all  is  to  believe,  and  act  upon 
the  belief,  that  God's  plan  for  us  is  better  than  any 
that  we  can  make  for  ourselves;  but  that  plan  will  de- 
pend for  its  success  upon  our  constant  effort.  He  will 
always  furnish  the  means,  the  tools  to  work  with,  but 
we  must  do  the  work.  If  we  can  realize  this,  then  no 
position  will  seem  small,  no  sphere  of  life  circumscribed ; 
because,  whatever  it  is,  it  gives  us  the  opportunity  to 
develop  the  best  there  is  in  us.  If  through  our  own 
negligence  we  throw  away  some  of  the  best  tools,  then 
we  must  work  the  harder  with  what  remains,  and  be 
sure  even  then  that  the  result  will  be  far  beyqnd  our 
greatest  thought. 

When  we  have  once  undergone  the  pelting  of  the  piti- 
less and  unpitied  storm  of  adversity,  and  when  few 
sympathized  with  us,  we  felt  these  were  indeed  days  of 
anguish,  and  when  they  have  once  come  upon  us  with 
their  appalling  weight,  we  can  never  be  beguiled  into 
a  forgetfulness  of  them;  the  memory  of  them  will  en- 
dure as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

In  peace,  there's  nothing  so  becomes  a  man 
As  modest  stillness  and  humility. 

— Shakespeare. 

Good  men  and  women  are  often  tempted  to  speak  or 
write  hard  things  of  their  neighbors.  Those  who  have 
grace  enough  will  steadily  resist  this  temptation,  but 
the  worldly  will  often  yield  to  it  unless  restrained  by 

147 


Patience ,        Humility ,        Resignation, 

policy.  When  a  Christian  has  been  wronged,  he 
should  remember  the  counsel  of  St.  James,  "Be  swift 
to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath.''  If  at  any  time 
one  should,  in  a  sudden  fit  of  passion,  write  a  scathing 
letter,  he  should  not  mail  it  at  once,  but  keep  it  two  or 
three  days.  It  will  be  well  to  withhold  it  until  after 
Sunday.  Perhaps  after  the  hallowed  influences  of 
the  holy  day  have  come  upon  him  he  will  not  send  the 
letter.  Many  a  letter  as  been  written  under  a  spell  of 
wrath  and  sent  in  haste  which  would  never  have  gone 
if  the  author  had  delayed  for  a  day.  His  wrath  would 
have  cooled,  his  judgment  would  have  had  time  to  act, 
his  conscience  would  have  been  heard  from,  his  memory 
would  have  called  up  the  wholesome  counsels  of  the 
word  of  God.  He  would  have  spared  himself  and 
others  much  pain  and  trouble. 

He  that  despairs,  measures  Providence  by  his  own 
little  contracted  model. — Smith. 

Despair  is  like  froward  children,  who,  when  you  take 
away  one  of  their  playthings,  throw  the  rest  into  the 
fire  for  madness. — Charron. 

This  is  a  world  full  of  trouble,  full  of  disappoint- 
ment, as  we  all  know ;  but  there  is,  after  all,  no  folly  so 
great  as  that  of  ceasing  to  invite  the  smiles  of  Hope, 
not  only  because  her  smiles  are  so  sweet,  but  also  be- 
cause while  we  live,  there  must  always  be  some  good,  as 
well  as  some  sorrow,  awaiting  us. 

We  can  no  more  stand  still  in  life  than  we  can  turn 
back.  When  we  have  no  desire  to  go  on,  invisible 
forces  are  at  work  to  compel  us  to  do  so.  There  are 
things  we  must  do;  people  we  must  meet;  events  that 
will  accrue  to  us.  We  cannot  believe  that  the  deeds 
will  all  be  such  as  we  m.ust  regret,  the  events  all  sor- 
rowful ones,  the  new  acquaintances  all  enemies. 

And  since  we  may  do  good,  and  have  good  done  to 
us — since  true  hearts  may  meet  ours,  though  we  to-day 
do  not  so  much  as  know  that  they  beat,  what  may  we  not 
hope? 

Your  home  may  be  cold  and  dark,  but  it  is  not  be- 
cause the  sun  does  not  shine.  It  only  needs  a  hand  to 
open  the  door,  and  put  aside  the  curtain,  to  let  in 
warmth  and  light.  So,  any  moment  the  shut  doors  of 
your  life  may  open,  and  earth's  sunshine  fall  across  your 
heart.  Wait  and  hope;  it  may  be  only  that  the  angel 
whose  mission  it  is  to  do  this  deed  tarries  for  a  little 
on  the  road. 

Patience  and  humility  in  adversity  are  more  pleasing 
to  God  than  much  comfort  and  devotion  in  prosperity. 

148 


'Patience,        Humility,        Resignation, 

To  endure  misfortune  is  greater  than  to  die. — Caesar. 

There  is  no  greater  mystery  than  death,  except  life — 
no  nobler  and  more  inspiring  theme  than  the  immortal 
part  of  man. 

From  the  dawn  of  creation  to  the  present  time,  the 
never  ending  caravan  of  mankind  has  sought  the  con- 
fines of  the  mysterious  land,  whose  gates  swing  ever  in- 
ward. 

Amongst  all  nations  and  peoples,  civilized  and  sav- 
age, the  constant  and  ever  recurring  aspiration  of  the 
heart  has  been  to  know  of  the  future  life.  All  the 
learning  of  the  world  that  has  preceded  us,  based  on  the 
"cold  confidence  of  reason,"  has  left  the  heart  of  man 
still  yearning  and  unsatisfied — still  struggling  with  an 
unsolved  problem.  But  since  faith  and  revelation  have 
solved  the  mystery  which  the  most  instructed  minds 
could  not  penetrate — the  Christian  lives  and  dies  in  the 
belief — confident  and  abiding — that  the  grave  is  not  the 
end  of  man.  Where  then  is  the  sting  of  death,  where 
the  victory  of  the  grave? 

There  are  two  ways  of  getting  through  this  world. 
One  way  is  to  make  the  best  of  it,  and  the  other  is  to 
make  the  worst  of  it.  Those  who  take  the  latter  course 
work  hard  for  poor  pay. 

Let  your  soul  never  be  disturbed;  ignore  what  worry 
is.  If  an  affair  does  not  succeed  as  well  as  you  ex- 
pected, you  must  rejoice  before  God  at  everything  that 
He  is  pleased  to  do.  The  things  that  appear  most  im- 
portant to  nature  are  only  trifles  in  the  estimation  of  a 
Christian,  because  nothing  has  any  importance  for  him 
except  what  God  wishes.  Trouble  and  worry  are  for 
hell ;  the  children  of  God  ought  not  to  know  them.  Work 
in  all  peace  and  tranquillity;  do  your  utmost  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  things  by  which  you  are  surrounded, 
and  to  the  circumstances  in  which  you  find  yourselves ; 
leave  the  rest  to  the  care  of  God's  Providence.  If  He 
is  pleased  to  crown  your  labors  with  success,  rejoice  be- 
fore Him  and  give  Him  most  humble  thanks ;  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  everything  goes  wrong,  bless  Him  still 
with  your  whole  soul.  A  Christian  who  acts  thus  always 
passes  his  life  in  peace,  in  joy  and  happiness.  At  the 
end  of  this  miserable  life,  which  is  of  little  account, 
there  will  come  a  happiness  of  which  I  shall  not  under- 
take to  speak  to  you  for  fear  of  not  doing  so  worthily. — 
Ven.  Fr.  Lihermann. 

We  must  bear,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  the  burden  of 
the  daily  confusion  of  our  sins.  We  must  feel  our 
weakness,  our  misery,  our  powerlessness  to  correct  our- 

149 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

selves.  We  must  bear  with  ourselves  without  flattering 
ourselves  and  without  neglecting  to  labor  for  our  cor- 
rection. And  whilst  waiting  for  God  to  please  to  de- 
liver us  from  ourselves,  we  must  be  undeceived  about 
ourselves.  Let  us  suffer  ourselves  to  be  humbled  under 
His  powerful  hand;  let  us  make  ourselves  pliable  and 
ready  for  His  guidance,  by  yielding  as  soon  as  we  feel 
any  resistance  of  our  will. — Fenelon. 

The  most  helpful  and  sacred  work  which  can  at 
present  be  done  for  humanity  is  to  teach  people  (chief- 
ly by  example,  as  all  best  teaching  must  be  done)  not 
how  to  "better  themselves,"  but  how  to  "satisfy  them- 
selves." It  is  the  curse  of  every  evil  nature  and  evil 
creature  to  eat  and  not  be  satisfied. 

Silence  makes  us  great-hearted  and  judging  makes 
us  little-minded. — Faber. 

Ah,  yes,  I  know  that  "I  must  go," 
Into  the  waiting  grave  below. 

Into  the  lone  cold  grave  we  fear; 
And  tho'  I  feel  that  those  who'll  kneel 
Beside  my  grave  in  mute  appeal 

Will  weep  in  grief  sincere : — 
^Tis  hard  to  sink  below  the  brink. 
Severing  every  sacred  link 

That  binds  affection  here. 

Oh!  may  I  die  as  wafts  a  sigh 

From  heart  that  throbs  its  mute  "good-by" 

To  all  it  holds  most  dear: 
Eesigned  to  God's  just,  holy  will, 
And  may  His  peace  my  spirit  fill, 
And  my  glad  soul  with  love  athrill 

Mount  to  the  Eternal   Sphere. 

—F.  de  C.  M. 

There  is  seldom  a  line  of  glory  written  upon  the 
earth's  face  but  a  line  of  suffering  runs  parallel  with 
it.  They  that  read  the  lustrous  syllables  of  the  one  and 
stoop  not  to  decipher  the  other,  get  the  least  half  of  the 
lesson  the  earth  has  to  give. — Faber. 

If  thou  desirest  peace  in  this  life,  keep  thy  secrets 
undisclosed,  like  the  modest  rosebud.  Take  warning 
from  that  lovely  flower,  which,  by  expanding  its  hith- 
erto hidden  beauties,  when  in  full  bloom  gives  its  leaves 
and  its  fragrance  to  the  winds. — Persian. 

Happy  is  he  who  does  not  speak  in  hope  of  praise, 
who  is  not  always  ready  to  divulge  his  secrets,  who  is 

150 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

not  eager  to  speak,  but  who  reflects  prudently  on  what 
he  should  say,  and  on  the  manner  in  which  he  should 
say  it. — St.  Francis. 

If  we  would  follow  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  we  must 
die  entirely  to  ourselves ;  for  it  is  by  self-denial  and  bear- 
ing sufferings  patiently  that  we  shall  attain  eternal 
happiness. — St.  Angela  of  Merci. 

He  Is  Not  Unworthy. 
If  one  has  failed  to  reach  the  end  he  sought, 
If  out  of  effort  no  great  good  is  wrought, 
It  is  not  failure,  if  the  object  be 
The  betterment  of  man;  for  all  that  he 
Has  done  and  suffered  is  but  gain 
To  those  who  follow  seeking  to  attain 
The  end  he  sought.     His  efforts  they 
Will  find  are  guide  posts  on  the  way 
To  that  accomplishment  which  he, 
For  some  wise  purpose,  could  not  be 
The  factor  in.   There  is  a  need 
Of  unsuccessful  effort;  ^tis  the  seed 
Whose  mission  is  to  lie  beneath 
The  soil  that  grows  the  laurel  wreath, 
And  he  is  not  unworthy  who 
Falls  struggling  manfully  to  do 
What  must  be  done,  in  dire  distress. 
That  others  may  obtain  success. 

— William  J.  Lampton. 

Let  our  old  age  be  childlike,  and  our  childhood  like 
old  age;  that  we  may  be  wise  without  being  proud, 
and  humble  without  being  ignorant. — St.  Augustine. 

The  men  who  rejoice  in  their  celebrity  are  simple- 
tons; the  men  who  are  proud  of  their  genius  are  fools. 
— Dumas. 

'Not  to  heed  calumny  is  the  only  way  to  triumph  over 
it. — Madame  de  Maintenon. 

Every  man  who  worries  about  the  morrow  is  sure  to 
be  miserable. — Seneca. 

The  pleasure  of  dying  without  anguish  is  much  bet- 
ter than  the  pain  of  living  without  pleasure. 

However  dark  our  lot  may  be,  there  is  light  enough 
on  the  other  side  of  the  cloud,  in  that  pure  empyrean 
where  God  dwells,  to  irradiate  every  darkness  of  the 
world;  light  enough  to  clear  every  ditficult  question,  re- 
move every  ground  of  obscurity,  conquer  every  atheistic 
suspicion;  silence  every  hard  judgment,  light  enough 
to  satisfy,  nay  to  ravish  the  mind  forever. — Horace 
Bushnell. 

151 


P  ail  enc  6  ,        Humility,        Resignation, 

Only  a  few  more  years ! 
Weary  years ! 
Only  a  few  more  tears ! 
Bitter  tears! 
And  then — and  then — like  other  men, 
I  cease  to  wander,  cease  to  weep ; 
Dim  shadows  o'er  my  way  shall  creep ; 
And  out  of  the  day  and  into  the  night, 
Into  the  dark  and  out  of  the  bright 
I  go,  and  death  shall  veil  my  face. 

— Father  Ryan — Reverie. 
We  may  die  at  any  moment,  and  when  we  die,  we 
die  as  we  are. — Faher. 

Speak  gently;  'tis  a  little  thing 

Dropped  in  the  heart's  deep  well. 
The  good,  the  joy,  that  it  may  bring 
Eternity  shall  tell. — Langford. 
Be  not  quickly  angry ;  for  anger  resteth  in  the  bosom 
of  fools. — Eccles.  vii. 

To  be  thought  ill  of,  worse  than  we  deserve,  to  have 
hard  speeches  said,  cold  looks  displayed,  by  those  who 
should  have  cheered  us  when  we  swerve,  is  one  of 
Heaven's  best  lots,  and  may  be  made  a  treasure  ere  we 
know  it. — Faber. 

The  world  will  never  adjust  itself 

To  suit  your  whims  to  the  letter ; 
Some  things  go  wrong  your  whole  life  long 

And  the  sooner  you  know  it  the  better. 

True  merit,  wherever  found,  is  ever  modest,  just  as 
the  well-filled  heads  of  grain  are  always  bent. — Dickens. 

Leave  your  place  in  the  world  for  ten  minutes,  and 
when  you  come  back  somebody  else  has  taken  it,  but 
when  you  leave  the  world  for  good,  who  remembers  that 
3'OU  had  ever  a  place  even  in  the  parish  register? — 
Buliver. 

They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait. — Milton. 

Let  nothing  sadden  or  dishearten  thee;  but  in  the 
midst  of  things  that  are  forever  passing  away,  live  in 
worlds  which  can  never  pass  away. — Rt.  Rev.  J.  L. 
Spalding. 

Though  all  I  have  and  striven  for  be  cast  aside  as 
having  no  worth,  yet  am.  I  certain  that  failure,  not  less 
than  success,  serves  God's  purpose,  if  we  but  have  good 
will. — Ibid. 

There  is  no  road  too  long  to  the  man  who  advances 
deliberately  and  without    undue    haste;    there  are  no 

158 


Patience,        H  umility ,        Resignation, 

honors  too  distant  to  the  man  who  prepares  himself  for 
them  with  patience. — Bruyere. 

There  is  a  general  feeling  that  life  is  dull  and  sleepy 
because  it  is  not  made  up  of  things  calculated  to  excite 
wonder  and  applause.  The  things  which  give  life  its 
roundness  and  completeness  are  the  things  that  often 
pass  unnoticed.  When  the  representatives  of  God  tell 
men  that  God  estimates  their  character,  not  by  occa- 
sional striking  events  in  their  lives,  but  rather  by  the 
simple,  obscure  duties  well  performed,  they  turn  away,  if 
not  in  anger,  at  least  in  disappointment.  They  can 
understand  how  God  can  contemplate  with  delight  that 
gloriousness  of  martyrdom,  but  they  cannot  understand 
how  He  can  be  interested  in  the  simple,  unobtrusive 
things  of  life.  Why  does  God  place  so  high  an  estimate 
on  little  things?  It  is  because  the  lives  of  most  of  us 
are  made  up  of  little  things.  As  we  go  on,  year  after 
year,  we  do  not  do  anything  calculated  to  attract  the 
attention  of  others,  but  after  twenty  years  have  passed 
what  an  amazing  amount  of  work  has  been  done! — a 
character  good  or  bad  has  been  built. — Rev.  A.  Rear- 
don. 

We  picture  death  as  coming  to  destroy;  let  us  rather 
picture  Christ  as  coming  to  save.  We  think  of  death 
as  the  ending;  let  us  rather  think  of  life  as  beginning 
and  that  more  abundantly.  We  think  of  losing  it;  let 
us  think  of  gaining.  We  think  of  parting ;  let  us  think 
of  meeting.  We  think  of  going  away;  let  us  think  of 
arriving.  As  the  voice  of  death  whispers,  "You  must 
go  from  earth,^^  let  us  hear  the  voice  of  Christ  saying, 
"You  are  but  coming  to  me." 

In  the  calm  and  sweetness  of  a  good  conscience  the 
trials  of  life  become  light;  for  the  virtue  of  patience 
renders  their  burden  easy. 

The  lesson  of  our  daily  lives  should  be  always  to  be 
faithful  to  conscience  in  all  things,  no  matter  how 
small  and  trivial  they  may  be.  Then  peace  and  happi- 
ness will  make  their  dwelling  place  within  us,  a  boon 
which  surpasses  the  possession  of  every  other  earthly 
good. 

How  wonderful  God's  ways  are!  With  a  star  He 
guides  the  wise  men,  who  seek  the  new-born  King.  So 
it  is.  Let  us  seek  Him  with  sincerity  and  He  will  guide 
us  safely  on.  What  though  the  journey  may  be  weary 
and  toilsome,  we  will,  at  length,  reach  the  end,  and  oh ! 
what  happiness  awaits.  Why  should  we  grieve  on  the 
way  ?  We,  who  can  look  forward  to  a  meeting  so  full  of 
bliss — ^to  a   country  overflowing  with  delights  beyond 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation. 

the  human  mind  to  conceive — to  a  love,  far  beyond  that 
which  the  fondest  heart  can  bestow  on  us.  Courage 
then.  Do  not  mind  those  sorrows  we  meet  on  the  way. 
Do  we  not  leave  them  on  the  road  after  us,  and  receive, 
in  exchange,  eternal  joys? 

In  this  world  it  is  in  vain  to  expect  a  complete  full- 
iillment  of  our  wishes. 

People  are  never  so  fortunate,  or  so  unfortunate,  as 
they  suppose  themselves  to  be. — Rochefoucauld. 

Oh,  Why  Should  the  Spirit  of  Mortal  he  Proud? 

[The  following  poem  was  a  particular  favorite  with  Abraham 
Lincoln.  It  was  first  shown  to  him  when  a  young  man,  by  a  friend, 
and  afterwards  he  cut  it  from  a  newspaper  and  learned  it  by  heart, 
He  said  to  a  friend,  "I  would  give  a  great  deal  to  know  who  wrote 
it,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain."    He  was  told  in  1864.] 

Oh,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? 
Like  a  swift-fleeing  meteor,  a  fast-flying  cloud, 
A  flash  of  the  lightning,  a  break  of  the  wave, 
Man  passes  from  life  to  his  rest  in  the  grave. 

The  leaves  of  the  oak  and  the  willow  shall  fade. 

Be  scattered  around  and  together  be  laid ; 

And  the  young  and  the  old,  and  the  low  and  the  high; 

Shall  molder  to  dust  and  together  shall  lie. 

The  infant  a  mother  attended  and  loved. 
The  mother  that  infant's  affection  who  proved; 
The  husband  that  mother  and  infant  who  blessed. 
Each,  all,  are  away  to  their  dwellings  of  rest. 

The  maid  on  whose  cheek,  on  whose  brow,  in  whose  eye^ 
Shone  beauty  and  pleasure, — her  triumphs  are  by; 
And  the  memory  of  those  who  loved  her  and  praised 
Are  alike  from  the  minds  of  the  living  erased. 

The  hand  of  the  king  that  the  scepter  hath  borne, 
The  brow  of  the  priest  that  the  miter  hath  worn. 
The  eye  of  the  sage,  and  the  heart  of  the  brave. 
Are  hidden  and  lost  in  the  depths  of  the  grave. 

The  peasant  whose  lot  was  to  sow  and  to  reap. 
The  herdsman  who  climbed  with  his  goats  up  the  steep; 
The  beggar  who  wandered  in  search  of  his  bread, 
Have  faded  away  like  the  grass  that  we  tread. 

The  saint  who  enjoyed  the  communion  of  heaven, 
The  sinner  who  dared  to  remain  unforgiven, 
The  wise  and  the  foolish,  the  guilty  and  just. 
Have  quietly  mingled  their  bones  in  the  dust. 

154 


Patience,        Humility,        Resignation, 

So  the  multitude  goes,  like  the  flower  and  the  weed 
That  wither  away  to  let  others  succeed; 
So  the  multitude  comes,  even  those  we  behold, 
To  repeat  every  tale  that  has  often  been  told. 

For  we  are  the  same  that  our  fathers  have  been ; 
We  see  the  same  sights  that  our  fathers  have  seen, — 
We  drink  the  same  stream  and  view  the  same  sun, 
And  run  the  same  course  that  our  fathers  have  run. 

The  thoughts  we  are  thinking  our  fathers  would  think; 
From  the  death  we  are  shrinking  from,  they  too  would 

shrink, 
To  the  life  we  are  clinging  to,  they  too  would  cling; 
But  it  speeds  from  the  earth  like  a  bird  on  the  wing. 

They  loved,  but  their  story  we  cannot  unfold; 
They  scorned,  but  the  heart  of  the  haughty  is  cold; 
They  grieved,   but  no   wail   from  their  slumbers  will 

come ; 
They  joyed,  but  the  voice  of  their  gladness  is  dumb. 

They  died — ay !  they  died ;  and  we  things  that  are  now, 
Who  walk  on  the  turf  that  lies  over  their  brow, 
Who  make  in  their  dwelling  a  transient  abode, 
Meet  the  changes  they  met  on  their  pilgrimage  road. 

Yea !  hope  and  despondency,  pleasure  and  pain, 
Are  mingled  together  in  sunshine  and  rain ; 
And  the  smile  and  the  tear,  the  song  and  the  dirge. 
Still  follow  each  other  like  surge  upon  surge. 

'Tis  the  twink  of  an  eye,  'tis  the  draught  of  a  breath. 
From  the  blossom  of  health  to  the  paleness  of  death. 
From  the  gilded  saloon  to  the  bier  and  the  shroud, 
Oh,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ? 

— William  Knox. 


155 


'  mM^  ^.r^<^^;3|^.-y^ 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Patriotism. 

\Vheii  a  deed  is  done  for  freedom,  through  the  broad 

earth^s  aching  breast, 
Runs  a  thrill  of  joy  prophetic,  trembling  on  from  East 

to  West. 

For  mankind  are  one  in  spirit,  and  an  instinct  bears 

along 
Round  the  earth's  electric  circle  the  swift  flash  of  right 

or  wrong; 
Whether  conscious  or  unconscious,  yet  humanity's  vast 

frame. 
Through  its  ocean-sundered  fibers,  feels  the  gush  of  joy 

or  shame; 
In  the  gain  or  loss  of  one  race  all  the  rest  have  equal 

claim.  ■ — Lowell. 

The  measure  of  a  man's  life  is  the  well  spending  of 
it,  and  not  the  length. — Plutarch. 

Rise !  for  the  day  is  passing, 

And  you  lie  dreaming  on; 
The  others  have  buckled  their  armor, 

And  forth  to  the  fight  are  gone. 
A  place  in  the  ranks  awaits  you, 

Each  man  has  some  part  to  play; 
The  Past  and  the  Future  are  nothing, 
In  the  face  of  the  stern  To-day. 

— Procter. 
After  what  I  owe  to  God,  nothing  should  be  more 
dear  or  more  sacred  than  the  love  and  respect  I  owe 
to  my  country. — De  Thou. 
Then  up  with  our  flag !    Let  it  stream  on  the  air ; 

Though  our  fathers  are  cold  in  their  graves. 
They  had  hands  that  could  strike,  they  had  souls  that 
could  dare, 
And  their  sons  were  not  born  to  be  slaves. 
Up,  up  with  that  banner !  where'er  it  may  call. 

Our  millions  shall  rally  around. 
And  a  nation  of  freemen  that  moment  shall  fall 
When  its  stars  shall  be  trailed  on  the  ground. 

— George  Washington  Cutter. 

156 


Patriotism. 


The  men  to  make  a  state  must  be  brave  men.  I 
mean  the  men  that  walk  with  open  face  and  unpro- 
tected breast.  I  mean  the  men  that  do,  but  do  not  talk. 
I  mean  the  men  that  dare  to  stand  alone.  I  mean  the 
men  that  are  to-day  where  they  were  yesterday,  and  will 
be  there  to-morrow.  I  mean  the  men  that  can  stand 
still  and  take  the  storm. — George  Washington  Doane. 

The  highest  duty  that  ever  comes  to  a  man  is  not  to 
do  a  deed  of  prowess  or  win  a  material  victory,  but  to 
endure,  suffer  and  die  for  truth  and  freedom. — John 
Boyle  O'Reilly. 

Of  all  human  things,  nothing  is  more  honorable  or 
more  excellent  than  to  deserve  well  of  one's  country. — 
Cicero. 

The  highest  honor  that  a  man  can  bear  in  life,  in 
death,  is  the  scar  of  a  chain  borne  in  a  good  cause. — 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

Free  people,  remember  this  maxim:  We  may  ac- 
quire liberty,  but  it  is  never  recovered  if  once  lost. — 
Rousseau. 

We  cannot  honor  our  country  with  too  deep  a  rev- 
erence; we  cannot  love  her  with  an  affection  too  pure 
and  fervent ;  we  cannot  serve  her  with  an  energy  of  pur- 
pose or  a  faithfulness  of  zeal  too  steadfast  and  ardent. 
— Gnmhe. 

Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And,  departing,  leave  behind  us 
Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time ; 

Footprints  that  perhaps  another, 

Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 
A  forlorn  and  shipwreck'd  brother, 
Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again. 

— Longfellow. 
Behold,  its  streaming  rays  unite, 
One  mingling  flood  of  braided  light ; 
The  red  that  fires  the  southern  rose. 
With  spotless  white  from  northern  snows, 
And,  spangled  o'er  its  azure,  see 
The  sister  stars  of  liberty. 

Then  hail  the  Banner  of  the  Free, 
The  starry  flower  of  Libertv ! 

—0.  W.  Holmes. 
Where  slavery  is,  there  liberty  cannot  be;  and  where 
liberty  is,  there  slavery  cannot  be. — Abraham  Lincoln. 
Liberty  cannot  be  established  without  morality,  nor 
morality  without  faith. — Horace  Greeley. 

1S7 


Patriotism. 


America,  to  thee 

We  pledge  our  loyalty. 

Mind,  heart  and  hand; 
Thy  laws  be  wisely  made 
And  faithfully  obeyed, 
Thy  honor  ne^er  betrayed — 
God,  keep  our  land. 

— Thomas  Moore. 
Firm  as  the  firmest,  where  duty  led. 

He  hurried  without  a  falter. 
Bold  as  the  boldest  he  fought  and  bled, 
And  the  day  was  won — but  the  field  was  red — 
And  the  blood  of  his  fresh  young  heart  was  shed 
On  his  country's  hallowed  altar. 

— Father  Ryan  in  "Memory  of  His  Brother/' 
"Patriotism,''  said  Mgr.  Turinaz,  Bishop  of  Na jes, 
at  the  late  national  requiem  for  the  soldiers  who  had 
died  in  the  service  of  France,  "is  the  love  of  family 
enlarged  and  translated ;  it  is  love  of  the  soil  which  our 
infant  steps  first  trod  and  upon  which  we  first  drew 
light  and  breath.  Patriotism  preserves  and  defends 
the  heritage  of  labors  and  conquests  transmitted  to  us 
by  our  forefathers.  Patriotism  is  a  holy  thing  inspired 
by  God.  The  man-God  experienced  its  throbs  when  He 
wept  over  His  own  blind  and  ungrateful  country.  In 
forming  Christian  countries  He  has  imbued  it  with  a 
glory  and  a  prestige  which  paganism  knew  not." 

Loyalty  is  the  highest,  noblest  and  most  generous  of 
human  virtues. — Brownson. 

To   God,  thy    country    and    thy    friend  be  true. — 
Vaughn. 

The  love  of  liberty  with  life  is  given, 
And  life  itself  the  inferior  gift  of  heaven. 

— Dryden. 
There  is  no  qualification  for  government  but  virtus 
and  wisdom,  actual  or  presumptive. — Edmund  Burke. 

0,  say,  can  you  see  by  the  dawn's  early  light. 

What  so  proudly  we    hailed    at    the    twilight's  last 
gleaming ; 
Whose  stripes  and  bright  stars    through    the    perilous 

fight, 

O'er  the  ramparts  we    watched    were    so    gallantly 

streaming. 
And  the  rockets'  red  glare,  and  the  bombs  bursting  in 

air, 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was  still 

there. 

158 


Patriotism. 


Oj  say,  does  that  star-spangled  banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ? 

Oh,  thus  be  it  ever,  when  freemen  shall  stand 

Between  their  loved  home,  and  the  war's  desolation; 
Blest  with  vicfry  and  peace,  may  the  Heaven  rescued 
land 
Praise  the  Power  that  hath  made  and  preserved  us 
a  nation; 
And  this  be  our  motto,  "In  God  is  our  trust." 

And  conquer  we  must  when  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  the  Star- Spangled  Banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave. 

— Francis  Scott  Key. 

If  we  are  true  to  our  country  in  our  day  and  genera- 
tion, and  those  who  come  after  us  shall  be  true  to  it 
also,  assuredly  we  shall  elevate  her  to  a  pitch  of  pros- 
perity and  happiness,  of  honor  and  power  never  yet 
reached  by  any  nation  beneath  the  sun. — Daniel  Web- 
ster. 

Flag  of  the  heroes  who  left  us  their  glory, 

Borne  through  their  battle-fields'  thunder  and  flame ! 
Blazoned  in  song  and  illumined  in  story, 
Wave  o'er  us  all  who  inherit  their  fame ! 
Up  with  our  banner  bright ! 
Sprinkled  with  starry  light, 
Spread  its  fair  emblems  from  mountain  to  shore ! 
While  through  the  sounding  sky 
Loud  rings  the  Nation's  cry — 
Union  and  Liberty  !     One  evermore  ! 

— Holmes. 
Sail  on,  0  Ship  of  State! 
Sail  on,  0  Union,  strong  and  great ! 
Humanity,  with  all  its  fears, 
With  all  its  hopes  of  future  years, 
Is  hanging  breathless  on  thy  fate ! 

^  9p  SfC  •!«  ^  9|C  9p 

Sail  on,  nor  fear  to  breast  the  sea ! 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  are  all  with  thee; 

Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears. 

Our  faith  triumphant  o'er  our  fears. 
Are  all  with  thee, — are  all  with  thee ! 

— H.  W.  Longfellow. 

Let  our  object  be  our  country,  our  whole  country, 
and  nothing  but  our  country.  And,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  may  that  country  itself  become  a  vast  and  splen- 
did monument,  not  of  oppression  and  terror,  but  of  wis- 

159 


Patriotis 


m. 


dom,  of  peace,  and  of  liberty,  upon   which    the   worh 
may  gaze  with  admiration  foveYei.— Daniel  Webster, 
Take  that  Banner  down !  'tis  tattered ; 

Broken  is  its  staff  and  shattered; 
And  the  valiant  hosts  are  scattered 

Over  whom  it  floated  high. 
Oh !  'tis  hard  for  us  to  fold  it; 

Hard  to  think  there's  none  to  hold  it; 
Hard  that  those  who  once  unrolled  it 
Now  must  furl  it  with  a  sigh. 

— Father  Ryan,  in  a  "Conquered  Banner/* 

Furl  that  Banner,  softly,  slowly ! 

Treat  it  gently— it  is  holy— 
For  it  droops  above  the  dead. 

Touch  it  not — unfold  it  never. 
Let  it  droop  there,  furled  forever. 
For  its  people's  hopes  are  dead ! 

—Ibid 
The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour: — 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave. 

— Gray.    Elegy  in  a  Country  Churchyard 

Theirs  not  to  make  reply. 
Theirs  not  to  reason  why. 
Theirs  but  to  do  and  die. 
— Tennyson.    Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade 

When  Freedom,  from  her  mountain  height, 

Unfurled  her  standard  to  the  air. 
She  tore  the  azure  robe  of  night. 

And  set  the  stars  of  glory  there ! 

She  mingled  with  its  gorgeous  dyes 

The  milky  baldric  of  the  skies, 
And  striped  Its  pure  celestial  white 

With  streakings  of  the  morning  light; 
Then,  from  his  mansion  in  the  sun. 

She  called  her  eagle-bearer  down. 
And  gave  into  his  mighty  hand 

The  symbol  of  her  chosen  land. 

— Joseph  Rodman  Drake. 

Flag  of  the  free  hearths  hope  and  home, 

■  By  angel  hands  to  valor  given ! 
Thy  stars  have  lit  the  welkin  dome, 
And  all  thy  hues  were  born  in  heaven. 

leo 


P  at  r  i  0  t  i  s  m. 


Forever  float  that  standard  sheet ! 

Where  breathes  the  foe  but  falls  before  us, 
With  Freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 

And  Freedom's  banner  streaming  o'er  us? 

—Ibid, 

Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  has  said, 

"This  is  my  own,  my  native  land!" 
Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burned, 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned 

From  wandering  in  a  foreign  strand  ? 

If  such  there  be,  go  mark  him  well ; 
For  him  no  minstrel  raptures  swell ; 
High  though  his  titles,  proud  his  name. 
Boundless  his  wealth  as  wish  can  claim; 
Despite  those  titles,  power,  and  pelf. 
The  wretch  concentered  all  in  self. 
Living  shall  forfeit  fair  renown. 
And,  doubly  dying,  shall  go  down 
To  the  vile  dust  from  whence  he  sprung, 
Umvept,  unhonored,  and  unsung! 

— Sir  Walter  Scott. 

How  they  shouted!     What  rejoicing! 
How  the  old  bell  shock  the  air. 
Till  the  clang  of  freedom  ruffled 

The  calmly  gliding  Delaware!" 
How  the  bonfires  and  the  torches 

Lighted  up  the  night's  repose! 
And  from  flames,  like  fabled  Phoenix, 

Our  glorious  liberty  arose  !  — Anon. 


Death  is  the  worst ;  a  fate  which  all  must  try. 

And  for  our  country  'tis  a  bliss  to  die.  The  Iliad. 

The  moment  1  heard  of  America  I  lo^ed  her,  the  mo- 
ment I  knew  she  was  fighting  for  freedom  I  burnt 
with  a  desire  of  bleeding  for  her;  and  the  moment  I 
shall  be  able  to  serve  her  at  any  time  or  in  any  part  of 
the  world,  will  be  the  happiest  of  my  life. — Lafayette. 

Is  life  so  dear,  or  peace  so  sweet,  as  to  be  purchased 
at  the  price  of  chains  and  slavery  ?  Forbid  it.  Almighty 
God !  I  know  not  what  course  others  may  take,  but  as 
for  me,  give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death. — Patrich 
Henry. 


P  at  r  i  0  ti  s  m. 


Be  just  and  fear  not; 
Let  all  the  ends  thou  aim'st  at  be  thy  country's, 
Thy  God's,  and  truth's.  — Shakespeare. 

Oh,  if  there  be  on  this  earthly  sphere 
A  boon,  an  offering  Heaven  holds  dear, 
'Tis  the  last  libation  Liberty  draws 
From  the  heart  that  bleeds  and  breaks  in  her  cause. 

— Moore. 
Land  of  song !  said  the  warrior  bard, 

Though  all  the  world  betrays  thee, 
One  sword  at  least  thy  right  shall  guard. 

One  faithful  harp  shall  praise  thee. — Ibid. 

0  folds  of  white  and  scarlet !  0  blue  field  with  your 
silver  stars !  May  fond  eyes  welcome  you,  willing  feet 
follow  you,  strong  hands  defend  you,  warm  hearts  cher- 
ish you,  and  dying  lips  give  you  their  blessing !  Ours 
by  inheritance,  ours  by  allegiance,  ours  by  affection, — 
long  may  you  float  on  the  free  wdnds  of  heaven,  the  em- 
blem of  liberty,  the  hope  of  the  world  ! — Anon. 

What  pity  is  it 
That  we  can  die  but  once  to  serve  our  country ! 

— Addison. 
I  am  Liberty — God's  daughter! 

My  symbols — a  law  and  a  torch : 
Not  a  sword  to  threaten  and  slaughter, 

Nor  a  flame  to  dazzle  and  scorch ; 
But  a  lisfht  that  the  world  may  see, 
And  a  truth  that  shall  make  men  free. 

I  am  the  sister  of  Duty, 

And  I  am  the  sister  of  Faith: 
To-day  adored  for  my  beauty. 

To-morrow  led  forth  to  death. 
I  am  she  whom  ages  prayed  for. 
Heroes  suffered  undismayed  for. 
Whom  the  martyrs  were  betrayed  for. 

— John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

A  song  for  our  banner?    The  watchword  recall 

Which  gave  the  republic  her  station : 
"United  we  stand,  divided  we  fall !" 

It  made  and  preserved  us  a  nation ! 

— George  P.  Morris. 

Liberty  knows  nothing  but  victories.  Soldiers  called 
Bunker  Hill  a  defeat ;  but  libertv  dates  from  it,  though 
Warren  lay  dead  on  the  field. — Wendell  Phillips. 


Patriotisvi . 


Rules  of  the  Road. 

What  man  would  be  wise,  let  him  drink  of  the  river 

That  bears  on  its  bosom  the  record  of  time: 
A  message  to  him  every  wave  can  deliver 

To  teach  him  to  creep  till  he  knows  how  to  climb. 
Who  heeds  not  experience,  trust  him  not;  tell  him 

The  scope  of  one  mind  can  but  trifles  achieve : 
The  weakest  who  draws  from  the  mine  will  excel  him 

The  wealth  of  mankind  is  the  wisdom  they  leave. 


For  peace  do  not  hope — to  be  just  one  must  break  it; 

Still  work  for  the  minute  and  not  for  the  year ; 
When  honor  comes  to  you,  be  ready  to  take  it ; 

But  reach  not  to  seize  it  before  it  is  near. 
Be  silent  and  safe — silence  never  betrays  you ; 

Be  true  to  your  word  and  your  work  and  your  friend; 
Put  least  trust  in  him  who  is  foremost  to  praise  you, 

Nor  judge  of  a  road  till  it  draws  to  the  end. 


Stand  erect  in  the  vale,  nor  exalt  in  the  mountain ; 

Take  gifts  with  a  sigh — most  men  give  to  be  paid ; 
"I  had,"  is  a  heartache,  "I  have,"  is  a  fountain. — 

You're  worth  what  you  save,  not  the  million  you  made. 
Trust  toil  not  intent,  or  your  plans  will  miscarry; 

Your  wife  keep  a  sweetheart,  instead  of  a  tease ; 
Rule  children  by  reason,  not  rod ;  and,  mind,  marry 

Your  girl  when  you  can — and  your  boy  when  you  please. 


Steer  straight  as  the  wind  will  allow;  but  be  ready 

To  veer  just  a  point  to  let  travelers  pass: 
Each  sees  his  own  star — a  stiff  course  is  too  steady 

When  this  one  to  Meetings  goes,  that  one  to  Mass. 
Our  stream's  not  so  wide  but  two  arches  may  span  it — 

Good  neighbor  and  citizen ;  these  for  a  code. 
And  this  truth  in  sight,  every  man  on  the  planet 
Has  just  as  much  right  as  yourself  to  the  road. 

^John  Boyle  O'Reilly 
163 


F  at  r  i  0  t  i  s 


m. 


In  a  Tideway.  m 

In  the  clutch  of  a  tide  that  my  course  compels,  T 

A  merciless  tide,  that  ebbs  and  swells  ! 

To  suns  and  moons  1  do  not  control — 

And  because  I  cannot  would  wreck  my  soul; 

The  storm-tossed  toy  of  a  turbulent  tide — 

And  only  one  star  through  the  night  to  guide — 

In  a  cockleshell  on  its  crest  afloat, 

Still  I  trim  the  sails  of  my  tiny  boat, 

And  strive  to  steer  by  that  star  remote — 

For  the  tide  that  threatens  and  thwarts,  I  know. 

Is  itself  controlled  in  its  ebb  and  flow:  h 

And  what  am  I,  a  speck  on  the  main.  ' 

Of  the  stars  that  sway  the  sea  to  complain? 

If  it  be  in  the  plan  that  I  sink  at  sea, 

Let  me  sink  as  I  sail,  with  pennon  free; 

If  land  I  make,  as  a  sailor  should. 

It  is  not  I  am  great,  but  that  One  is  good; 

But  happen  what  may.  let  the  log-book  tell 

That  I  did  my  best  with  my  cockleshell. 

— Charles  Henry  Wehh. 


% 


A  Builder's  Lesson. 

"How  shall  I  a  habit  break?" 
As  you  did  that  habit  make. 
As  you  gathered,  you  must  lose ; 
As  you  yielded,  now  refuse. 
Thread  by  thread  the  straws  we  twist 
Till  they  bind  us  neck  and  wrist ; 
Thread  by  thread  the  patient  hand 
Must  untwine  ere  free  we  stand. 
As  we  builded,  stone  by  stone, 
We  must  toil  unhelped,  alone, 
Till  the  wall  is  overthrown. 


But  remember,  as  we  try. 
Lighter  every  test  goes  by ; 
Wading  in,  the  stream  grows  deep 
Toward  the  center's  downward  sweep; 
Backward  turn,  each  step  ashore 
Shallower  is  than  that  before. 


Ah,  the  precious  years  we  waste 
Leveling  what  we  raised  in  haste; 
Doing  what  must  be  undone 
Ere  content  or  love  be  won  ! 
First  across  the  gulf  we  cast 
Kite-borne  threads,  till  lives  are  passed, 
And  habit  builds  the  bridge  at  last ! 

—John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

164 


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